Trauma Center: Neko Saga
by edlovesjuicyfruit73
Summary: My first three fanfictions all combined into one action-packed, thrilling journey of Victor Niguel and his colleagues. Nekos were creatures that Victor never imagined would change his life so drastically. Their virus, however, is best left forgotten...
1. Danger

**Disclaimer: I do not own the names, the places, or the characters in the following story. It is for entertainment purposes only, and the content expressed belongs to Atlus. All the other used themes are property of their personal copyright owners. Hope you enjoy! This is my first Trauma Center Fanfic whoo! Reviews please!**

The pain that had only intensified since the operation on the neko girl, Marie, had been bothering researcher Victor Niguel all day. It was a disturbing shooting pain all up and down his left arm, and it didn't go away within 10, 20, or even 30 minutes. _The hell with it, I probably just slept on it wrong… _The frustrated researcher thought to himself.

"Good job today, Victor," came the familiar voice of Dr. Derek Stiles. He'd performed the surgery on Marie, assisted by Victor. Victor was the only one in Caduceus that knew anything about nekos, so it was in the young teen's best interest to have him by the surgeon's side as he operated on her. "I don't think we would have been able to save that neko girl without your help."

"True, you'd all be pretty helpless in this hospital without me," Victor said expressionlessly to the young doctor. Derek rubbed the back of his neck and grinned slightly; a little annoyed and a little amused with Victor's blunt comment. "How is the patient doing now?"

"She's alright. I'm surprised how comfortable she is already with humans, one would assume she'd be more comfortable with cats or something!" said Derek with a chuckle. Victor did not smile or return the laugh. He just stared at him coldly and began rubbing his throbbing arm. Derek sighed. There was no getting this guy to laugh.

"The only difference between nekos and humans is that nekos have cat ears and a tail and they see in the dark. That's about it. You should know that, you operated on her," Victor said quietly, annoyance in his voice. Derek nodded slowly.

"Hey, Victor, since I obviously know so little about my _own patient_, maybe you should go look at her for me," Derek said, nearly becoming inaudible midway through the sentence. Victor scowled and stormed off, realizing if he refused he'd only receive hell from the other staff.

"Marie, it's Victor Niguel, the researcher. I'm coming in now," he said as he slipped inside room 93 of the hospital. Marie yawned and nodded, but otherwise took no notice of his entrance. He approached her and looked her over, scribbling little notes to himself. He wasn't a doctor, but research alone had given him enough information on how to look over a patient. A 15-year-old neko patient in this case.

She looked up at him with her huge emerald eyes, her short black hair hanging partly over them. As he turned to walk to the other side of the bed, his arm brushed her ear and it began twitching and circling. He watched it for several seconds, narrowing his eyes as if demanding that it stop. Marie blushed in embarrassment, her ear continuing to swirl around and around. She had no control over it.

"Sorry," she said finally as her ear stopped moving. "The slightest touch sets it off." Victor snorted and continued the examination.

"Whatever," he said noticing anxiety spread across the features of her face. Nekos were constantly nervous or anxious, and they worried over nothing. They were physically powerful, but their emotional selves were wrecks. Suicide was the main cause for decrease in the population due to their high likelihood of having chemical imbalances at birth. Also due to this, was the unfair loss of youth at a young age. Because of their constant worry, they often wore their bodies out and not many nekos escaped wrinkles. Still, though Marie's face wasn't flawless, it was pretty and Victor had to admit that. She was a cute young girl, and it upset Victor to see her in Caduceus USA for extreme heart and respiratory problems, especially at 15.

"Am I okay then?" Marie asked, her face relaxing again. Her tail swayed calmly, awaiting a response from the researcher.

"Yeah, you're fine," Victor replied. She smiled and thanked him. He nodded half-heartedly, beginning to leave. Marie's eyes grew sad. She sensed something.

"Mr. Victor…?" she began. Victor looked back at her. "You're in pain…" His eyes widened at this. _How the hell does she know?_

"I'm fine," he growled.

"It's your arm, isn't it? You've been experiencing pain in it?" she inquired loudly.

"Yeah… but how'd you know?" he asked nervously.

"I'm very sensitive to vibrations, just like a cat's whiskers are sensitive to its surroundings. I feel every footstep, every heartbeat, and every cringe of pain. I can even feel the pain reverberating in your arm," she stated matter-of-factly. "A book won't tell you that, because I'm a rare type of neko. I'm much more aware than them; not as numb as the others to the world around me." He nodded, letting her words sink in.

"What's it to you anyway?" Victor snapped. She flinched. Every little thing scared her.

"You helped save my life, I just want to repay you I guess, or something," she replied with a bored tone. She was trying to make the air between her and Victor more comfortable by acting and speaking the way he did, but it failed.

"Are you mocking me?" he asked offended. Marie shook her head no.

"I wasn't mocking you, I'm sorry. I strongly react to humans' emotions and expressions, that's all," she said to Victor timidly.

"Yeah, whatever," Victor replied in his indifferent tone.

"Now, let me see your arm," she demanded in a gentle voice, grabbing his arm. He struggled to free his arm from her grasp and was surprised at her strength. "Don't even try it, I used to be a healer in the war when I was only ten years old, and I held down 200-pound men." He was even more shocked at this statement. He thought she was a mere child, but she was a bright and powerful teen. He wondered silently what went on in that complex mind of hers.

She pulled him towards her by his arm and sat him on the bed beside her, hinting that this would take a moment. She examined his arm carefully; feeling all the joints and muscles to be sure nothing was dislocated or pulled. She felt nothing; no irregularities.

"Can I get back to my job now?" asked Victor impatiently.

"Have you experienced chest pain, shortness of breath, shoulder or jaw pain, or anything like that?" she asked, ignoring his question.

"Those things don't even seem related to arm pain, unless…" he grew worried as thoughts raced through his mind. "Wait, wait, wait, you don't think I'm having a _heart attack_ do you…?" _No way, it's not possible! You're young and healthy, Victor, no way is it a heart attack! Just keep telling yourself: __**It's not a heart attack, it's not a heart attack… **_

"It's very possible, Mr. Victor. You work at a hospital, you should know the signs, doctor or not. You better get looked at. Heart attacks are serious, anyone can see that." Victor pulled away and walked off angrily, not once looking back at the neko.

_What are you getting all worked up for? You're fine; you're just tired from working hard all the day, and through lunch! Shift is almost over; just hang in there two more hours._

One hour passed, and his condition had worsened. Pain radiated through his shoulders and there was a disturbing tightness in his abdominal area. He felt as if someone were sitting on his chest.

_Snap out of it Victor, you're letting what that neko girl said get to you! What does she know, she's just a kid!_

He sat alone in his lab, trying to take his mind off the pain by messing with chemicals and observing their reaction as they were mixed. Suddenly, the director of Caduceus entered. Victor knocked over the chemicals clumsily, spilling every vile.

"Damnit!" yelled Victor, cleaning up his mess. Sydney Kasal shook his head.

"Sorry to surprise you, Victor," Sydney began. "Patient Marie, the neko, informed me that she noticed you were in great pain. Is that true?"

"No, I'm fine, director. I just need some sleep, that's all," Victor replied.

"You know, stress can cause blood vessels to become thinner. One little heart problem or irregularity and BAM! You have a heart attack. You're quite stressed, are you not Mr. Niguel?"

"I'm fine, director," Victor said quietly, holding back screams as the pain increased tremendously. Mr. Kasal shrugged and began walking away, when he heard a large thud. To his surprise, he looked back and saw Victor moaning in pain on the floor, holding his chest and cursing all the while.

"Victor!" Sydney shouted, rushing to his side. "For goodness' sake, what's wrong?!" Victor was becoming very pale, his breaths short and choppy.

"Director…" Victor whispered weakly. "I think I'm having… a heart… attack…"

"Victor! Victor Niguel! Answer me!" Sydney pleaded, his head-researcher bleeding away before his eyes. This was much more serious than a heart attack. Victor heard only a few more ear-piercing pleads from his director before passing out.

The last thing he heard was this: "I know what's wrong with him. Prep him for the O.R., sir. I will accompany Derek Stiles in…" The rest of the sentence had been cut off as he went into cardiac arrest and his vitals dropped to a frightening 5. Everything went black, and Victor slowly began to perish…

-12:31 AM, Caduceus O.R. #73-

"I see it!" shrieked Derek as he opened Victor's chest and spotted the culprit of his heart attack and the other frightening symptoms he'd experienced. Marie, who was standing weakly beside him, wearing scrubs, nodded. "What is it?"

"It's a live virus nekos contract, but it only causes symptoms similar to the common cold for us. The virus must be fatal against humans, if he's in this much danger," answered Marie. Derek nodded, suturing lacerations on Victor's heart and draining the excess blood, prohibiting the heart attack to cause further damage. Marie, serving as his assistant, kept a steady eye on his vitals and frequently used the syringe to raise them.

Derek eyed the slow-moving virus carefully, observing it while applying antibacterial gel on the area. He reached for his forceps, grasping them firmly; eyes still on the living virus. _It reminds me of GUILT… _Thought Derek. Using the forceps, he neared the virus and attempted to nab it, but failed. It slipped quickly from his vision and his grasp. _Maybe they act like GUILT too! _He hastily snatched up the laser, relocated the virus, and attacked it; watching it slowly die. The sound it made while it withered away was blood-curdling. It was one of the most awful sounds they'd ever heard.

"I have you now!" he screamed victoriously, picking it up with his forceps and dropping it onto a Petri dish. Surely it was to be examined further later on. To her dismay, Marie did not celebrate with the surgeon, but instead pointed a crooked finger at the horrifying sight she beheld. "What the hell?!"

Infectious, tight bands had constrained Victor's heart, and it seized to beat as the pressure increased. Machines beeped loudly, alerting the surgeon and his assistant that the patient's vitals were nearing zero. Derek panicked as the line on the monitor flattened and as the deafening drone that resulted from it followed. Victor Niguel was going fast.

"It must be the result of the virus! It probably released something right before it died that caused this! Hurry, cut open his heart! That's probably where the core of the bands is!" Marie screamed. Derek immediately obeyed, using his scalpel to carefully open the heart. As Marie had predicted, the core lied inside, where the virus had planted it, and he proceeded to sever the bands attached to it. He used the laser to weaken the core, and then cut it out with the scalpel, following up with the removal using his trusty forceps. He rapidly sutured Victor's heart and chest and applied antibacterial gel to prevent further infection.

Marie at this time was using the syringe to save his vitals from completely plummeting, but with no such luck. Victor continued to draw closer and closer to the hands of death itself.

Nurse Angie Thompson rushed in with the defibrillator, readied it, and prepared to shock Victor's heart back into pulsation.

"Clear!" she shouted, placing the defibrillator on his chest and sending volts to his heart. To everyone's relief, the line on the monitor danced in large waves again, showing signs of hope and survival of the patient. The beeping was steady now, and with that sound clearly ringing in their ears, they let out a deep breath and celebrated the successful operation.

_**But the relief would soon come to an abrupt end. Victor's battle was far from over. This had only been the horrifying beginning…**_


	2. Reasons

**Disclaimer: All the places and characters (except Marie and her dad) belong to Atlus, not me. **

**I hope you all like this one, I whipped it up in about two hours or so, I did a lot of editing. This one's a bit short, not too much action, but I hope you enjoy! Reviews would be most appreciated!**

Victor was roused awake by the sound of beeping machines. He wearily opened his eyes, adjusting to the darkness. He couldn't recall what had happened or where he was now, but as he sat up he became familiarized with his surroundings.

_A hospital room…? But why am I…_

Suddenly, everything came rushing back. He remembered the director's pleads and the excruciating pain, and how everything faded to black before he heard the remainder of Marie's sentence.

Dr. Derek Stiles entered the room, closing the door quietly behind him. He greeted Victor and pulled up a chair beside his bed, taking a seat and explaining to him all that occurred in the operation. Victor immediately caught where Derek and Marie had stumbled upon error in their terminology.

"How could I have caught a cold? Marie hasn't been sick, and how would she have given me a cold virus if her face was covered? I've never been near her face, not until the pain was _already_ there," he explained to the now confused doctor.

Marie eavesdropped on the conversation outside the room, her ear pressed against the wall. Her ears fell down against her head in shame. She should have told Derek the truth…

She mustered up all the courage she had and walked inside, tears pouring down her face.

"I'm so sorry doctor! And Victor… I never meant for this to happen!" she cried.

"What do you mean you're sorry? Sorry for what?" Derek asked. Marie approached them, shoulders slumped, and handed Derek a letter. It was like the ones received from Delphi a few months back.

"M-my father… He _gave _me a virus… This virus… It causes heart and lung problems… I didn't die because you extracted it through the blood, but… Victor must've breathed it in or gotten blood on him… And that's how he contracted it…" Marie explained. "This virus, it _grows_ and _feeds_ on its host… The hole in my heart, it wasn't from a birth defect… My father planted the virus in _my _heart when I was a baby and it _ate _a part of me! He left me for dead, left me at the war zone and I was raised to kill humans! I quit, but soon after, my mother died because the virus grew too large… That's why we have to save Victor, or I'll never forgive myself! I want to stop my father, so _no one_ will ever die because of his sick experiments again!"

"You mean _you_ did this to me?!" shouted Victor. "I almost died! You could've killed me!"

"Victor… I know you probably hate me, just like you act as if you hate everyone else… But Derek Stiles saved your life and you should be happy… though I've made mistakes, I am trying to undo them by helping all humans I can… as your patient and Derek's, I'm begging you… Test me for _everything_; see what makes this virus tick. I want to know just how many viruses my body houses and what can be done to destroy them. Create an antidote, anything, just cure me so I can stop my father once and for all…" Marie choked out, sobbing between breaths now. "Please… I want to live… I've always, _always_ tried to kill myself… But there's more to life than that, and I want to live it for all it's worth damnit! If you won't help me, who will?!"

Victor stared at her, and she stared back with her large emerald eyes. Normally, crocodile tears didn't bother him, but along with everything she'd said there was no doubt she was telling the truth. He could see it in her eyes… The pain, the suffering, everything. This young girl had been through hell. She was just a little over half his age, and she'd seen more of hell than he had. He felt truly bad for her, and his compassionate side took complete control over him.

"I will help you, Marie. I'll do anything I can to cure you and the rest of the infected people, no matter how long it takes," Victor said reassuringly. Derek's heart strings had also been tugged at by Marie's upsetting story, but even so, he had to be strong and be a man for the girl's sake!

"I'll help you too, Marie. Victor and I can make a deadly combination if we can _actually_ get along. We'll find the cure and treat you. After that, we'll face your father," Derek declared.

"Th-thank you…" Marie whispered, hugging Derek and crying in his shirt. He rubbed her back and shushed her, letting her know that everything would be alright. Sydney then escorted them out, noticing that Victor had become exhausted in the ruckus.

Derek soothed Marie for another 20 minutes or so before returning to work. Before they made any rash plans, Marie and Victor needed to build up their strength again.

Victor laid back and drifted off to sleep, thoughts of research in his dreams. It comforted him, because work was where he was most familiar. He never went without an answer, never at a loss for words when it came to his job. But the way Derek had reacted just moments earlier… The way he was able to stop Marie's crying, and how he spoke so calmly and full of confidence towards her… It was unreal. Derek's bedside matter was incredible, and Victor would have liked to express his feelings the way Derek could so effortlessly.

This feeling, sympathy… It was not new to him, but it had lodged its way to the bottom of Victor's heart and had stayed there for a very long time. It had returned today, and it bothered him. What was it about Marie that compelled him to help her?

Victor researched long and hard the next few days, reading about nekos in a book he had Dr. Chase retrieve for him. One passage caught his eye as he was reading early one morning.

**Nekos have a special "aura" that shrouds them, and anyone in the presence of a neko is filled with warmth and happiness. Humans especially react to this aura, in some ways more extreme than others. Some humans will act in ways they normally would not, or sometimes that person's nature is shifted for better or for worse. It is unknown why nekos have this power over us, but Dr. Barbra Manning has this to say: "I believe nekos are very special beings. They have forever struggled against the odds, since first created, and then on they have filled us with imagination and creativity beyond our own knowledge! I think that nekos make us feel the way we do because they have had it so hard… It is nature's way of lightening their hearts, and ours." **

"That makes sense… That's right! They react very strongly to our emotions and expressions, and they mimic them to relax us… They adjust to whomever it is they're faced with, and they receive payment through their happiness… That's why they're dying… They're killing themselves because humans are what they need to survive… They need us to recognize them? Maybe it's a mandatory necessity of life to be accompanied by humans? What is it?" Victor argued with himself.

"Our mistakes are atoned for when we have impacted on a human's life. We were inspired by humans, and you are in a way _our_ ancestors. We look up to humans to learn and to find our own happiness. We can make each other happy, but it's totally different when a human acknowledges us. You feel compelled to help me, because we are the same. We are both different from the others… and you have the urge to alleviate my pain, and in turn, find out what it is you feel is missing from your life," Marie answered him. She had read him like a book. She not only answered his question, but she gave him another question to puzzle over for the rest of his recovery time:

_Who am I? Why am I here and what is it I am missing?_


	3. Swimming to Shore

**Disclaimer: Atlus owns everything except Marie and her dad and the virus. You already knew that. **

**This one took me a while to edit, my stupid grammar... Poor word choice too, but if you have suggestions, Private Message me or send me a review and I'll respond! Hope you enjoy this chapter, chapter 4 is not far behind. Probably will upload very, very soon. **

In the following weeks, Victor and Marie recovered fully, and they returned to their daily routines. Marie was now aiding Caduceus, however, but that was the only change. Victor, still hard at work as always, was determined to cure Marie, and during those few weeks he learned everything he needed to know about nekos. This was all vital information, and he was being complimented left and right by his colleagues for cracking the case of these mysterious beings.

"There's more that's different about you than I thought," Victor said as he drew blood from Marie. She winced from the pain, though it was nothing. "What's your problem? Just a little needle."

"I despise needles, I always have. I'm starting to get used to it now," Marie answered him. He grunted in annoyance, taking the vile of blood and transferring it to his lab; transferring it as in having an available nurse bring it down there by foot.

"You're pretty complex compared to humans," he said unenthusiastically. "You can go so long without food and water, two weeks was it? And you don't even have a urinary tract; it all just becomes energy, even the bad stuff that we humans dispose of. It's incredible stuff." She shrugged.

"I'd much rather be a human…" she murmured. "We nekos are so dependent on humans for survival, and we have so many problems mentally, as well as emotionally."

"Whatever, be miserable, see if I care," answered Victor harshly.

"Now, be nice to our guest and helper, Victor," Derek scolded.

"Not now, Stiles, I'm busy," Victor retorted angrily. He continued to draw vile after vile of her blood. Precious samples were needed for the battery of tests he would run, and he needed all the blood he could take without knocking Marie out from blood loss.

"Would it kill you to be nice? Even once?" Derek asked, raising an eyebrow. Victor mumbled curse words under his breath, ignoring Derek's comments. He was here to do his job, not be a neko girl's baby sitter.

Late in his laboratory one night, Victor came across dozens of live viruses in Marie's blood. They were probably swimming all over her body, just waiting for the precise moment to take over and end her life. He shook his head, irritated and upset that a father could do something so wicked to his own flesh and blood. Worse, he had tried to kill Victor in the process, and though indirectly, it was his fault he'd succumbed to such a fatal illness.

"So, you're the little bastards that are causing all the problems in Marie's body…" he spoke down to the squirming viruses in the Petri dish. He took several chemicals, mixing them and testing them on the viruses and observing their reactions, but nothing seemed to faze them. They continued to swim in the little droplets of blood as if nothing had happened.

Hours passed, and he grew more cross as the minutes ticked away.

"What the hell do I have to do to kill you little hellions?!" shouted Victor, slamming his fists against the desk. "I'll be damned if you keep me from saving that girl! No one should have to suffer like that, and I won't give up until I find what it takes to wipe you off the face of the planet!"

"Yelling at specimens again, eh dude?" Dr. Tyler Chase asked, leaning against the doorway to Victor's lab.

"Go away, Chase, I haven't the time for your foolishness," Victor growled. "Isn't your shift over?"

"Sure it is, and so is yours, right? You should go home and get some sleep don't you think?"

"You don't understand, I have to find what kills these little demons," Victor said under his breath, mixing more chemicals.

"Man, don't you get it? Marie doesn't _expect_ anything from you. She wants you to try, but it's not like she's demanding you to find her cure, just like that," Tyler told him, snapping his fingers.

"I'm not doing this because she wants me to; I'm doing this…Because _I _want to." With that, Dr. Chase smiled and ascended the stairs, knowing that there was no convincing his colleague to leave. When Victor put his mind to something, he finished it no matter what.

It was 3 in the morning, and still no luck. It took all of Victor's strength to keep his head from falling back onto his chest in exhaustion. He could barely keep his weary eyes open, and sleep was sure to come upon him within the hour.

Before he knew it, he was in a deep slumber, drooling and snoring; dreaming of his research and of GUILT.

When he awoke, he leaped from his chair and stumbled backwards, landing with a hard thud on the unforgiving floor. He grunted then stood to brush himself off.

"Ah, damnit!" he yelled, noticing that all his chemicals had spilled. He rushed to clean up his mess, but an awful noise caught his attention first. The virus specimens were screeching and wilting; slowly perishing. His eyes widened at this sight. He had found their weakness; a cure!

He scrambled for his notepad and his pencil and rapidly jotted down the chemicals. He then flew up the stairs, prepared to present Derek with his newly discovered information.

"This is great! So you can create an antidote and then kill all the viruses with it?" the young surgeon asked.

"Yeah. The laser should help too," said Victor, happiness welling up inside him.

"Prep Marie for the O.R. Angie," Derek ordered.

"Yes, Dr. Stiles," Angie said, strolling down the hall and turning into her room to tell her the great news.

Victor ran back down to his lab, creating the flawless antidote in which to kill the virus that was wrecking havoc on Marie's defenseless body.

-Caduceus O.R. #22, 11:05 AM-

Derek swiftly broke down the viruses they came to call NRCV, short for _Neko Respiratory-Cardio Virus_. He injected the antidote directly into a blood vessel in her heart, which would pump the blood to the other infected areas and cleanse them as he worked on the main clutter of the NRCV.

Screeches of the dying viruses resounded throughout the O.R., but it was a promising sound though it was ear shattering and painful. Victor accompanied Dr. Stiles in the operation, all the while gawking and laughing at the NRCV whose lives they were taking.

"Take that you bastard!" he yelled, grinning hugely at the screaming parasite. The NRCV were surprisingly similar to GUILT, which all at Caduceus had become familiar with. Certain reactions occurred in the body as the number of NRCV dropped, and Angie smiled, alerting them that the reaction due to their unwanted presence was decreasing.

"Well done, Dr. Stiles, close the patient," Angie ordered after the viruses had all been destroyed. Derek sutured the incision and Marie was sent to the ICU to recover. The operation had been entirely successful, and they all congratulated each other for a job well done.

Marie's body had been cleansed of the virus, and it would no longer linger in her veins. What _did_ remain in her veins was something she could not dispose of. _Her father's wretched blood… _

She would stop him, without a doubt; she would do that much. If it were the last thing she ever did, she would stop her damned father and send him either to prison or to hell, each option suiting Marie. As long as his face would stop haunting her dreams, she could get on with her life.

But, though she was celebrating externally with the others, internally a storm raged within her. She would need Victor and Derek's help and support if she would survive the pain that would come next. She would have to face her father and struggle to let go of her beloved mother if she was to defeat him. Jonas Smith… That was what his name was. Marie had completely dropped this last name to escape any binds still tied to her father, but she would never completely escape his wrath…

_**Though they didn't know it now, both her life and Victor's were about to take an unexpected twist that would change them forever… **_


	4. Instincts

**Disclaimer: Atlus owns everything except my own characters. Duh. XD **

Angie Thompson did something she normally would not have. It left everyone in shock. Everyone in the room held their breath, awaiting something; anything from the red-faced neko who had just been slapped across the face with a clipboard.

"O-oh my… Marie… I am… so…" Angie stuttered. The girl turned away from her, tears filling her eyes. She was embarrassed and degraded, having been hit by a nurse in front of both Victor and Derek. "I don't know what came over me…"

The raging dispute was result of Angie's comfort towards Derek, who had been feeling under the weather. Marie had tried over and over again to reach him via the nurse call button, but the agitated nurse at the desk only entered time and time again, telling her the doctor was not available yet.

Victor came to her aid immediately, for he knew what her urgent news concerned. Of course, Dr. Chase had held him up in the hallway, leaving Marie alone for a longer amount of time. Frankly, Marie was growing uncomfortably impatient, and when she saw the reasons for the stalling, she became furious. She had news that needed to be presented to her personal doctor and researcher ASAP. Yet, the staff of Caduceus was making that seemingly impossible.

Marie spotted the culprit, Angie, and demanded that she come in right away and speak to her privately. Angie obeyed.

Outraged by the hold up, Marie told the nurse something along the lines of: "Quit flirting with my surgeon and get your ass back to work," followed by: "There are more important things to worry about than making relations with some guy you have no chance of getting, so just back off and let him do his job."

Angie, compelled to get her sweet revenge against this little, hormonal, teenaged, neko, without thinking, smacked her as hard as she could with the clipboard in her hand. The sickening sound of the collision brought instant shock upon the nurse's face, realizing that Victor and Derek had witnessed her act of cruelty from the doorway. Marie had been out of line, but Angie's job as a nurse was to deal with unreasonable patients, and she had done the unthinkable. The way she handled the situation was not her best move, nor her smartest.

Angie burst into tears, embarrassed and ashamed that she had done such an awful thing to a young girl, and in front of the man she longed to be hers. Victor, inflamed with anger, shoved Angie aside and asked Marie if she was alright.

Marie laughed under her breath, rubbing her stinging cheek.

"I suppose I deserved that…" Marie said smiling and brushing away the tears. "I'm sorry. I was acting like a child, I shouldn't have gotten so cross with you. You were only trying to help Derek, whose feelings I didn't take into account. I'll tell you something Angie, and it's cruel, but I want to be honest with you. I really don't like you."

"Now I remember why I like this kid!" Victor shouted, slapping his knee and laughing. Angie's face flushed red.

"I don't like you, you don't like me, I told you off, and you smacked me, so we're even okay? Don't worry about it. Though there are several things about you I'd rather not have to deal with while I'm here, I'm just going to suck it up and let it go. You helped save my life, so I'm just going to drop this and forget this ever happened," Marie declared with great maturity. She was not one to take to humans kindly, and she hated women most of all. Women all hated her, while the men never bothered to take any notice of her. It was natural for her to have disgust toward Angie, a superior to herself, as it would have been in a neko tribe. "I actually don't blame you for crushing on Mr. Stiles, here," she went on. "He's handsome, smart, and he's nice. Shoot, if he was a neko and I was his age, I'd be all over him too." At this, everyone laughed except Derek, who rubbed the back of his neck and blushed.

Marie smirked, slugging Derek on the shoulder roughly. "Just messing with you, Doc," she grinned at him, her ears dancing with happiness. "Everything I said was true though, you are very attractive. You could get any girl, Dr. Stiles. But to me, you're a great doctor, a friend, and like an older and wiser brother. I thank you for that."

"Sure thing, Marie," Derek said, his shoulders relaxing again from the tension that had settled in the room moments prior. He rubbed her back, allowing her body to relax again as well. She then turned to Victor.

"Victor, you're like an older brother to me, too," she said to him. "Thank you." With that said, all that she had been meaning to tell them all along, she hugged Derek and then Victor. Tears filled her eyes. "Forgive me, all of you… I've been so rude and cold-hearted… I'm just so… afraid…" she whispered, beginning to sob.

"I forgive you Marie. You'll get through this, Derek and Victor will help you," Angie said calmly. She purposely left herself out of that statement, nodding to Derek as she left the room. The air was too uncomfortable between the two girls, so she suspended her duty to aid Dr. Stiles with Marie and took her much needed vacation time instead.

"Have a nice vacation, Angie," Derek said, waving to her. He was about to go deep into thought about how the nurse felt about him, but was probed so by Marie to comfort her before anything else was done.

"Go," Victor ordered the doctor. "Go on, take your break okay? I'll take care of her. I'll inform you of anything I'm told otherwise." Derek grinned meekly, seeing Victor's brotherly side, a side he'd never seen of his colleague before, come out right before him. He exited the room, adding that he too forgave Marie before walking down the hall and to the lounge for his coffee break.

"I'm sorry Angie hit you. That was really strange of her," said Victor.

"I deserved it. I stepped out of line, after all," she replied, beginning to calm down.

After her crying fit ended, she described to Victor all about the neko pecking order and how nekos functioned as tribes in the forest. Victor became very interested in the concept.

"Angie is older than me, so she is superior. The teens in a group squabble for authority and they attack using put-downs. The older nekos, the superiors, fight back using words as well, and as the argument continues, one neko will end it by physically inflicting damage on the other. The one who was injured must surrender. Angie beat me to the punch," Marie explained, setting herself and Angie in a neko tribe setting, using the scenario they had just experienced. "Seeing Derek as a role model or an older brother, I wanted and demanded his full attention." Victor's eyes were full of curiosity. There was so much he still needed to learn about these strange creatures, and he listened contently as his mind absorbed the information like a sponge.

"Considering Derek was a neko, he would have full control and power over me, being both older and a man I admire," she continued. "I must respect his wishes, and he wished for me to apologize to Angie and not to fight back, so I respected those wishes because it was my instinct to do so. Plus, it was the right thing to do."

Though she was more civilized than her past generations, her instincts restrained her. Ingrained into her being and DNA was compassion, intellect, comprehension, and integrity. She had no control over these aspects of herself, and she had to abide by her instincts whether she wanted to or not. That part of her was still wild and beast-like.

"What would I be considered in a 'neko tribe'?" Victor asked, strictly out of curiosity.

"You would probably be a leader of some sort. Leaders of a neko tribe have to be smart and strong, and you've got the smart part down," she said, smirking. "Others would look up to you for guidance, just as I do." The man that never smiled couldn't force one back now. He grinned, patting Marie like a dog on the head. Her ears began circling wildly, and they both couldn't help but laugh at this peculiar sight. Victor was about to ask a series of questions to learn more about the tribes, but stopped himself as he glanced down at his watch.

"Gee, we've been talking about nothing for ten whole minutes. I should really get back to work," he stated, getting up from his seat and rushing towards the door.

"Wait! The information!" Marie yelled. "I've been meaning to give it to you all morning." She held a piece of paper in her hand and waved it violently in the air. Victor strolled back over and grabbed it from her thin fingers. He scanned it, his eyes falling upon the name "Kenneth Blackwell". His eyes widened in surprise.

"Kenneth Blackwell, the creator of GUILT, assisted my father in the creation of the NRCV 15 years prior to now."

**A/N: Surprised? I'm not sure if this cuts into Blackwell's life before Delphi, but oh well. I guess I should've paid more attention… Anyway, hope you enjoyed this. #5 is coming up! **


	5. Friendship and Vulnerability

**Disclaimer: Atlus owns it. Just being nice and disclaiming every chapter!**

**Without further ado, let us begin chapter number… 5 is it? Hmm. Yes. Sorry! **

Months passed, and still no action had been taken against Jonas Smith or his old partner Kenneth Blackwell. Marie was greatly disturbed by this, worrying that her father would create another virus before they could prevent it. Victor reassured her that they would stop him at any cost, and this lifted a considerable amount of weight off her shoulders.

Angie had also returned from her vacation. Her and Marie, though they flashed death-defying glares at each other from time to time, came to tolerate each other. She was still suspended from working with Derek while he was with Marie, but she got used to it in time. She could instead use this time to tackle her never-ending pile of paper work.

Victor had grown very fond of Marie, and she grew fond of him. They had bonded greatly, and their friendship was growing stronger every day. Not a day passed when Marie wasn't with him or Derek. She'd become attached to both of the young men. They were like her _family. _

One day at the lounge, Marie and Angie came into contact. Marie had poured two cups of coffee for Derek and Victor and placed them on the counter parallel to each other. Marie acknowledged Angie's presence, nodding her head and saying hello under her breath. They rarely spoke to one another. Today was, however, a new day.

"Here," Marie said, sliding one of the cups to her. "You know how Derek likes his coffee." Angie grinned; preparing the coffee the way Derek preferred it and internally celebrating her victory. Marie smiled to herself, knowing she'd brightened someone's day. She no longer had to compete for Derek's attention, nor did she have to act foully towards Angie. She saw her as nothing more but a worker here at Caduceus, just trying to get by on what she had. This was a large step for Marie, but forgiveness was not in her nature…

Tyler, who had stepped into the lounge, smiled at the sight he beheld. Marie and Angie, sworn enemies, were cheerful and for once in months, not fighting.

Marie had softened the hearts of all she met. That included the Caduceus staff and the patients the hospital contained. In the process, Marie had changed too. It was her heart that was different, because it was now _vulnerable_. This was dangerous, especially with her father at her heels. She'd overcome his virus, and he now needed to take drastic measures to see that all the Caduceus staff was destroyed in some form… But she didn't know the danger she or the hospital was in. No one knew.

_It was possible that no one would know until it was too late…_

**A/N: I know this one was short, forgive me for that. I hope you're enjoying this Fanfic. I've worked very hard on it. I'm actually surprised I made Angie and Marie make up. I guess it's only fair, considering the hell I put the poor nurse through in my role-playing and what not… Anyway, #6 is on its way, and I think this fic will be wrapped up here in the next few chapters. Reviews are welcome! **


	6. Deeper Understanding

**A/N: One of the reviewers pointed out some things I need to work on, and that's making my writing easier to understand and not to confuse ya'll. Sorry 'bout that! Anyway, I must admit, she was right. Thanks so much Tris. **

**Victor is very stubborn as his fans know, so Marie's aura has a lower effect on him at times. He has sort of like… Mood swings around her! It will calm down though, and he'll kind of figure himself out. Maybe. **

**Also, Angie is sort of moody at times, and Derek is a touchy subject for her, and that's why she overreacted so. Okay, we all good? Yes? Grrrrreat! **

**And Marie's ears and tail are solid, pitch black. Boring, but that is how I have always imagined her. OKAY. Enough of my blabbering now. **

**AHEM! Without further ado, let the next chapter begin!**

She picked up the phone reluctantly, dialing the number to the prison where her father Kenneth Blackwell was held. The phone rang on the other end. Angie clenched the phone tightly in her hand, holding her breath as anticipation began to overwhelm her. Her anxiety grew as the phone rang on the other end a third time.

"Hello?" an annoyed and raspy voice answered, right before the phone rang a fourth time.

"It's Angie Thompson, I need to speak with Kenneth Blackwell," she said, her hand trembling. "I'm his daughter," she added.

The man on the other end grunted, took a long drag on his cigar, and finally answered the waiting nurse.

"Alright, please hold," he said, retrieving Mr. Blackwell.

Two guards at his sides, Blackwell picked up the phone and spoke into it, hoping the caller hadn't hung up.

"Hey, Dad…" said Angie in a shaky voice.

"Ang? That you? What is it, what's going on? You okay?" Blackwell probed his daughter for the answers to his many questions. A long pause followed.

"Yeah, Dad, I'm okay," Angie replied, taking a deep breath. "What can you tell me about Dr. Jonas Smith?" Blackwell froze, eyes widening. He did not respond. "Dad?" she asked, awaiting her father's reply.

"…Where'd you hear about Smith?" he asked finally.

"One of the patients here, Smith is her father. She's a neko," she answered.

"Yeah, I figured… He is too…" Blackwell murmured. "Why do you want to know about him?"

"I need to know about the virus he created, Dad," said Angie.

"I see…" Blackwell said, rubbing his chin. "We'll have to continue this conversation in person, my daughter." The line went dead. Angie sighed, hanging up the phone. She would have to see him again no matter what.

"Thank you, Angie," said Derek. He gave her a quick and friendly hug and exited the room. Angie was very ecstatic about this, and she thought to herself for many minutes about the doctor she loved. Her thoughts were cut off abruptly.

It was the director of Caduceus.

"Do you need a ride to the prison Ms. Thompson?" he asked kindly.

"Oh, yes, I do, actually," Angie replied timidly. _Maybe someday I'll be Mrs. Angie Stiles… _She thought to herself.

"Earth to Angie! Man, are you just going to day-dream all day or what? Let's go already!" Tyler yelled, waving his hand in front of her face. She blushed and nodded, walking down the hall with him.

Angie hesitantly walked into the room where her father was surrounded by half a dozen guards, and already she was extremely uncomfortable. She took a seat across the table from him.

"You're getting more beautiful every day, Angie," her father said smiling at her. She did not return the smile, but instead looked at him with a face of seriousness. She was here for strict business.

"The NRCV, what can you tell me about it?" she asked him emotionlessly. Blackwell's eyes shifted upward to the left side of the room, thinking it over, trying to remember.

"The… NRCV…" he said half to himself, scratching his head. "Ah, yes, Dr. Smith's brilliant creation. That must be what you're talking about." Angie became a bit tense, but nodded.

Blackwell continued: "15 years ago, Dr. Jonas Smith and I were partners. Delphi was far from completion, and far from being anything that it just recently was. We really didn't have too many leads to go on." She nodded again, taking in the information. "Smith was tampering with his chemicals one day, and he did something very peculiar. He mixed his red blood cells and the white blood cells of a human at the organization. He then added a chemical I'd never seen before, and it suddenly became this living creature…

"After several minutes, it formed into a deadly virus, and he called it some weird name that I can't remember…" Blackwell scratched his head once more. "That was my inspiration for GUILT. This virus, what it did, was feed off its host's heart and lungs, well the tissue that is, or whatever it could get to. It normally forms in the heart, or burrows into a blood vessel and reaches those organs." Angie was seemingly disgusted with this fact. Of course, Blackwell couldn't be sure. He couldn't read her face at all.

"Is that all?" she asked.

"Well, no," he stated. "One day, once his virus was fully lethal, he decided to test it. His wife came in and he gave her the virus through a blood vessel. A week later, their daughter was born and he gave her the virus directly into her heart. And, that's when he left them. He went mad, creating all these viruses, and the viruses killed many nekos. They were killed in war, because they'd contracted the virus from Marie, his offspring. He'd, after all, left her at the war zone with his brother.

"You remember the Neko War don't you Angie? Remember in the news, how the headline said that 1,000 neko soldiers were found dead on the battle field precisely five hours before the human troops arrived? That was Smith's virus."

"But… she lived so long, 15 years with that virus, why didn't she…?"

"Marie's mother was a human. His virus took very long to affect humans, and it was long before his wife finally died. She's half human, half neko, and that is why she's survived so long."

"Victor succumbed to the virus and within the hour he was experiencing heart attack symptoms, and he almost died on the operating table. Explain that," Angie said angrily.

"In 15 years, a virus can grow, Angie," Blackwell explained. "It became more lethal, and that's why its effects have become more deadly. Don't you understand? Because her heart keeps healing _over_ and_ over _and _over_ again, it lives on. It's survived so long, and it's unstoppable now. Smith always said it'd last longer than the GUILT I would soon create… And he was right. It's been killing you off since its creation so many years ago."

"No, Dad, you're wrong! Victor destroyed it! He found an antidote, and Marie's body is rid of the NRCV now!" Angie screamed, standing up. Blackwell threw his head back and laughed.

"As long as Smith is alive, Marie will never be rid of his virus. He _is_ a virus, and he's killing her. The NRCV may be gone, but he's perfected it by now, I'm sure. He has, after all, had another child… If you plan to stop him Angie, you must leave now. Prod me for no more answers; go now if you want to save the girl!" Blackwell shouted. Angie obeyed, and she rushed out as quickly as she could.

Tyler sped back to Caduceus, where a young neko boy stood at the reception desk. He looked back and smiled, then turned back to the receptionist. _Those eyes…_ Angie thought. _Marie's eyes! He's Smith's second child!_

"Who are you? What are you doing here?" Angie demanded, seizing the boy's arm. He looked at her through his pale-green eyes and tried to pull away. Suddenly, the receptionist fell to the ground and began groaning in pain. Tyler immediately rushed her to an O.R., prepared to examine her and discover what was causing the receptionist so much pain. It had happened all too fast. Angie was stunned. "What did you do?!" she asked the boy with glasses.

"Mommy she's hurting me!" screamed the boy. Angie turned to face the most revolting thing she'd ever seen. The woman she saw resembled a neko that had been hit by a train and dumped in radio-active toxin. She was terrifying, her fangs dripping with saliva and her ears torn to ribbons. Half her tail was completely missing. Her skin barely clung to her bony frame, and it was nearly transparent. Much of her innards could be seen through the skin, including the long channels of blood vessels.

Angie cowered, dropping to her knees and pleading for the monster's forgiveness.

"Are you bothering my son?" the woman asked, pointing a claw towards Angie's face. She shook her head, tears of fear streaming down her face. Sydney came to her rescue, calming the frightening woman down and leading her and her son back to their seats in the waiting room.

After Angie recovered from her scare, she asked Sydney: "W-what was wrong with that woman, Director…?"

"That woman there, she has been infected with a bad case of the virus we know as the NRCV. I think it could be a new strain of the virus. Her flesh has completely begun to rot away, and her son's arm is badly infected as well. But, she won't let any of us near him," he explained. "What happened with the receptionist, I don't know. There's no way the virus could have reacted that quickly…"

"That boy is Marie's brother, I'm sure of it!" Angie shouted, tracing away from the conversation about the virus.

"Did you say Marie?" asked a neko man about Sydney's height. His hair was black and cut short, and he wore a nice suit. His eyes, however, were cold and full of anger and hatred.

"W-why do you ask sir…?" Angie asked.

"No reason…" the man answered. He looked at her as if he knew her. He asked if they had met, and she answered no. "You look so familiar… Of course! Blackwell's daughter!"

_How does he know? Unless…_

"Wow, you've grown! He used to show me pictures of you. It's nice to meet you, I'm Jonas Smith."

**A/N again: To clear up any confusion that may have occurred, back then, humans were almost immune to the NRCV, since it was originally created to kill nekos. Smith gave his human wife the virus and she succumbed to its effects once she grew older and the virus became more powerful. Marie's heart kept healing, as Blackwell said, because it was a trait she got from being both human and neko. I just made that up though. Jonas remarried a half neko half human and the virus caused several devastating effects on her, causing her teeth to form strangely and her skin to rot away. The offspring, Marie's half brother, is obviously Smith's and the creepy lady's. You'll find out what happened to the receptionist next time. And, Jonas obviously doesn't know what trouble he's put himself in, giving away his identity. So… That should turn out interesting. Until next time, I bid you farewell and I hope I've cleared up any confusion!**


	7. Justice To Be Paid

**A/N:** **This Fan fiction is nearing completion.** **The next chapter is its last. It is very touching in my opinion. But I'm a drama queen… so…aheh… This chapter is basically tying up loose ends, so its length is not overwhelming. Don't get comfortable, though, because the next chapter is quite long. Please enjoy these final chapters of ****A New Enemy, A New Ally**

Angie, meeting Marie's father, could do nothing but hold her breath. This man had been the cause for the murder of much of the neko population, and here he was standing before her. When Sydney murmured something into the walkie-talkie held in his hand, Jonas Smith found where his mistake had occurred. His identity was already known, and he'd exposed it stupidly. As quickly as he could, he ran from the hospital, leaping into his car and escaping in 60 seconds flat.

"Damnit!" screamed Sydney, slamming his fist against the wall. "We came so close to catching him and he got away! He had an escape plan all along it seems…"

"Director, look!" shrieked Angie, pointing to two empty seats. The strange lady and her son had fled as well. There was no way to track them now. It was a painful defeat.

A week passed, and the receptionist's condition had been diagnosed. It was an airborne strain of the disease, NRCV. It was fatal, and it caused her to go into shock. It was the infection of the boy's arm that caused her to contract it, and because the virus spread so quickly, its effects had intensified and attacked more brutally and rapidly. Luckily, Dr. Chase had known what to do. With Victor's antidote, he was able to eliminate the virus before it fed on the defenseless receptionist's heart.

Marie's anger and hatred had intensified even more so than the virus that created those emotions, and it was consuming her. Victor worried, because she'd grown very depressed and distant. He and Derek barely spoke with her. She was always researching her father.

"Marie, you need to get off the computer now, okay?" asked Victor firmly, but with gentleness in his voice. Her aura had taken the anger out of him, and his mood swings when in her presence ceased.

Her hand was trembling violently over the mouse, her wide eyes glued to the screen.

"H-he knows, Victor… He knows I'm here…" she whispered, pointing to the e-mail she'd opened minutes earlier. Victor read:

_My daughter, it has been too long I was hoping you would have been dead by now…. I am, however, aware that the virus has been extracted from your body, but it doesn't matter now. I still have a hold of you, no matter where you are. Your wretched mother pleaded for me to spare you, and look what happened to her… It is your fault she is dead. And it is your fault the neko population decreased years ago, because of the virus your mother just wouldn't let me give to you in its entirety… The NRCV, as you call it, has become more powerful. You and your friends at Caduceus will fall before it, and you will suffer for what you have done to me. I am filled with despair, every time I hear your name. I never wanted you, and to know you're alive deeply disturbs me. I was not meant to be a father, and I will wipe you off the planet. Face me… Avenge your mother…_

_--Jonas Smith_

"Marie…" Victor said lowly, putting his hand on her shoulder. She was crying by this time, now understanding why her father had attempted to kill her. He didn't want to be a father, but she was then born and was the ghost that haunted him. That is what drove him to insanity, and it is that that inspired him to create a virus in order to kill her. It was his sick and terrible pride. But, it had failed. Thanks to Derek and Victor, she survived and this created rage in Smith. And her mother…

"My mom… My mom is dead because of me! Why?!" she shouted, tears falling to the floor. Victor didn't know what to do, because now Smith wanted a confrontation with Marie. His intentions were evil, Victor knew that much. And with Marie breaking down, Smith's plan was already taking effect.

"No, Marie…" Victor began. "You are not the reason for her death… Don't you see? It was your father; he's trying to poison you with guilt… He's a murderer Marie, you're not. I'm sure your mother loved you, your father is just screwed up in the head."

"You mean it…?" Marie asked, staring into his eyes.

"Of course I do. And you know I don't lie. You're a wonderful person Marie; you make people happy and someone as compassionate as you could never be the cause of someone's death."

"Thank you Victor…" she said, smiling. "But… I… I miss her so much… So much…" Marie wept for several moments, pouring out her feelings. In Victor's warm embrace, she settled down in the arms of the brotherly figure she dearly cared for. And he was alright with it. He allowed her to cry until she recovered from the depressing memories that had flooded into her all at once.

He gripped her tightly by the shoulders, looking her in the eye. His expression was stern and showed no emotion, but inside he felt sympathy for her. He then spoke.

"Be strong. Your mother wouldn't want you suffering this torture because of the painful memories of her death, she wants you to move on and get on with your life. You only have one life Marie, and if you waste it crying, what good will it do? I stopped crying long ago, because it never got me anywhere. I am who I am today because I dealt with the problems and pushed forward. Let her go, Marie. She will be happier, and so will you."

Something in Victor's words had gotten to her. She stood up straight, fought back the flowing tears and stared at him with new eyes; eyes without pain and without sorrow. Everything he'd said was right, and she was finally ready to believe it.

"Thank you. That's just what I needed to hear. I'm going to make it all the way to the finish, no stopping short! I'm going to take Jonas Smith off the Earth and avenge my mother!" she declared proudly and with great confidence.

At this, Victor smiled and his eyes glistened with passion. Never had he convinced someone of anything so deep, nor had he spoken with such confidence himself. He dug so deeply into his heart and soul that he was able to say just the right things… And he was overjoyed, though it did not show on the outside.

She accepted his and Derek's support, and in the following weeks, a plan was developed.

Victor had spent night after night researching, cracking codes, and breaking into forbidden websites in order to locate Smith's personal lab. Marie was extremely uneasy and nervous after they did indeed pinpoint his location, because it meant they were that much closer to facing him and, for her, killing him. She had never killed anyone, but in order to gain, sacrifice must be made. The sacrifice was to lose her innocence and to murder her own father, but in the long run, it would all be better.

Prison would not hold him; hell was his final destination. Marie made that very clear, because she couldn't live freely if he was alive.

It was then settled. Jonas Smith would die at the hands of his offspring, and Derek and Victor would back her up all the way, erasing the virus from records and from existence. The laboratory break-in was going to be one of the most intense experiences they would ever face, but they all knew it was for the best. They counted down the minutes; tonight justice would be paid.


	8. A Broken Heart

**WARNING: This particular chapter is one of the reasons this Fan fiction is rated T for Teen. You have been warned. **

**(It's not even that bad, but if you have a weak heart, you may want to think twice before continuing on. I don't know about you, but this really tugged at my heart strings. Turn back now if you feel so inclined.)**

**A/N: Here is the final chapter everyone. This one is a bit long, so take your time. I cried while writing this, and I hope it touches you like it did me. ****A New Enemy, A New Ally**** is drawing to a close, so enjoy… **

Cybil Meyers accompanied the three on their die-hard mission. Back up was no problem, for it was the armed forces of Los Angles. The police were commanded not to interfere, but to be prepared to intervene at any moment if the scene called for it.

Cybil's only job was to make the calls if she felt the trio was in danger, follow through with the entrance plan if it were necessary, and to unlock the door at the front. Sure, they could literally _break in_, but to keep things calm, unlocking the door was smarter and it would draw less attention.

With a twist here and a turn there, the lock was open using a single, very strong bobby-pin. Cybil was highly experienced with situations like this, and her being there made the break-in that much more successful. The three quickly thanked her and rushed inside, splitting up. Derek would check for any injured people that Smith may had held captive, Victor would search for the virus samples etc., and Marie would of course search for her father. Within the span of 20 minutes, Victor and Derek had completed their parts of the mission. The tasks were far too simple, because all the guards had strangely taken off…

"I have some patients out here to treat, so you go in and assist Marie, okay?" Derek said as Cybil put one of the infected civilians under anesthesia.

"Right. By the way, good job Stiles," Victor complemented him. Derek smiled, and Victor returned it. Though stunned, Derek just left well enough alone and didn't question him about his strange behavior.

Cybil took the virus samples and loaded them into a cooler to be tested later. At this point, the mission would soon be over and they could all breathe a sigh of relief.

Victor reentered the building; quietly walking down the hallway that Marie had taken almost a half hour earlier. He prayed that she'd already eliminated her father and that they could go home, but he was almost counting on that not being the case.

Victor stepped into a dimly lit room and saw the brutal battle between the father and daughter. This fighting style was contrary to what had been told to him about neko tribes before, because these two were fighting using pure strength and physical blows to each others' bodies.

He didn't dare step into the middle of the two nekos, so he remained frozen at the door, helplessly watching them tear each other to pieces.

"Not… bad…" Jonas said, his chest heaving. "You're… a good fighter…"

Marie was also breathing heavily. She ignored his comment and glared at him. Her eyes blazed with hatred.

The battle raged on, neither of them giving in to the profusely bleeding wounds they received from the other.

"I won't give up… I'll kill you if it's the last thing I ever do!" Marie exclaimed, charging at him once more. She slashed his side open with her claws, which had once been divinely trimmed finger nails.

Victor could barely stand to watch. It was like two pit bulls pinned against each other, fighting until the will to fight had died out of them, and their life had ended. This fight would not end soon enough, and it felt like hours…

"Foolish child… You cannot win!" he shouted, ripping her cheek open in a flash. She cried out in pain. The wound was not large, but it was deep. It had nicked the bone.

"Marie, it's no use! You're evenly matched, let's just get out of here and settle with what we have!" screamed Victor. He couldn't bear to watch them any longer, and he didn't want the two to continue this purposeless fight. Neither side could win.

"This monster has haunted me far too long… I will not suffer any more from this unending pain!" Jonas declared at the top of his lungs, withdrawing a scalpel from his lab coat and proceeding to pierce Marie's heart.

Silence.

Victor held his breath, the blood draining from his face. He was pale within 30 seconds, and also in that time blood splattered across the floor, exiting Marie's mouth.

He struggled to scream, but nothing came out. The only sound that could be heard was Jonas' bellowing laugh as he witnessed his daughter crumple to the floor.

He loomed over her, laughing as a blood pool formed around her.

"I refuse to go to prison… That's the last thing I'd do… See you in hell, my daughter," Jonas Smith said, laughing hysterically as he took his own life. Those were the last words that ever escaped his lips. He was dead before he hit the ground, the jugular vain in his neck torn open by the scalpel. He fell with a large thud, followed by the falling scalpel that made a metallic noise as it collided with the tile.

Marie lay in the pool of blood, broken and gasping. Victor rushed to her side, dropping to his knees and lifting her limp body into his thin arms.

"Marie, speak to me! Say something!" he pleaded, shaking her roughly by the shoulders. She looked up at him blankly, the ember of life in her eyes fading as they began to glaze over. They appeared ever so foggy, and Victor knew this as a sign of rapidly approaching death. It had all happened so fast…

"Marie, hold on! I'm going for help!" he shouted, rising to his feet. Before he could, she pulled him down and mouthed the word: _Stay_. "No, you're in deep trouble! You'll die if I don't go now!"

"V-victor…" she choked out. "You… were… a great friend… and… an even better… brother…" Her breathing quickened, getting choppier as the seconds slipped away.

"Marie…" he whispered, fighting back tears. "Don't talk that way!"

"Don't…forget me… okay…?" she said almost inaudibly, tears welling up in her eyes. She then placed her hand over his heart, and with her final breath, told him this: "Here… that's where I'll be…" Her eyes closed, and they did not open again. She exhaled, and her chest did not expand or collapse to suck in more precious air. Her body slowly lost warmth, and she was gone.

"O-oh, Marie…" Victor sobbed. "Don't go… I need you… You're my friend… Come back…Come back!" He held her lifeless body in his arms and cried for the first time in years, and he did not stop until he was taken away by Derek and Cybil. He screamed her name, losing all control of his actions. The murder was too much for him to take, and it took several minutes for him to regain his sanity and to calm himself.

His hands were covered in blood, as well as his clothing. He trembled, tears still streaming down his face. Derek's face also became tear-stained as he watched Marie's corpse taken out of the building, covered with a white sheet. It was a tragic night for all. The neko had saved them all, and was murdered in doing so. It was an injustice so great that not even the wise Victor could understand. He was then taken home by the police. He showered, crawled into bed, and cried himself to sleep. His sleep was haunted by terrible nightmares. Marie's face was all he could see, and he did not sleep well for that night, or any of the nights in the weeks that followed.

News had spread about the laboratory and the devastating event that had taken place there. Everyone at Caduceus that had known Marie wept, even the male staff that never expressed their feelings. Included was Victor, who had become very ill from the constant crying.

That afternoon, her funeral was held. Not a soul smiled. Everyone was bawling. Victor had no tears left to cry, but his unshaven face and uncombed hair was a sign of his mourning.

The preacher blessed her coffin and spoke of her in ways too deep for comprehension. Everyone listened, and yet they were wrapped up in their own thoughts. How unreal it was…

After her coffin had been placed in the ground and buried, everyone said a few words of farewell and cried some more. All dressed in black, the funeral party laid dozens of bouquets of flowers on Marie's grave, honoring her memory. They then spoke about all the great times they'd had, and all the wonderful moments of her life they'd been apart of while she was still among the living.

After some time, much of the party had departed and left to return to work where they needed to be. Victor, however, stayed behind.

Derek patted his shoulder, reassuring him that there was nothing that could have been done to save her.

"I still… wish I could have…" was Victor's reply.

Derek swallowed hard, choking back sobs. "Yeah… me too… but she's in a… better place…

"And I'm here for you, okay…?"

"Thank you, Derek…" said Victor, still attempting to hold back tears. He wanted the crying to end, because it hurt to cry in front of his colleague and to cry when there were no tears left to do so.

Derek Stiles left the premises, allowing Victor to recall the memories of Marie's short life alone. He also knew the man needed to cry. It was only respectful to leave him to sob by himself. That's how Victor wanted it.

It was sunset, and the wind blew softly through the abandoned cemetery. Victor was still there, at that lone grave, thinking. The wind blew his hair, but he took no notice of it. It also began to rain to make the scene more depressing and dramatic, and he felt like he should cry with the sky. But he didn't. He merely let the rain soak him, and he sat there in the cold in front of that headstone. He ran his hand across it, thinking about all the months he spent with the young neko girl.

He could not fight them back any longer. The tears fell, and he cried for a long, long time. How he missed his friend…

Night fell, and Victor still hadn't moved a muscle. He was shivering, wet and freezing. Small rain droplets clung to the ends of his hair, and he breathed in the fresh aroma of the fallen rain. Marie had always commented on how she enjoyed the rain, and this only made Victor hurt worse.

He pressed his hand against his chest, feeling pain reverberating through him suddenly. His heart was physically aching, and it was pain that was not familiar to him. It was a pain he couldn't alleviate, because it was deeper than that. It was strange, and it hurt worse than anything he'd felt before.

At this moment, he was nothing; he was dead and he was not Victor Niguel. He was only the being that suffered the immense and excruciating pain from his broken heart.

His heart was wearing out, slowly, from the stress he was under, and his mind was playing tricks on him, making him feel as if there was pain. It was only in his mind, but he wasn't aware. He couldn't think straight.

He recollected his thoughts, and her memories. He recalled the words he had spoken to her before the confrontation with Smith had occurred. He made it sound easy, like he just let go of the dead so effortlessly, and Marie did so in order to please him and to please her dead mother, if there was, indeed, an afterlife for nekos. But he found the task far more difficult than he had made it sound that day.

There was something in Marie that had gotten to Victor. Beyond her aura, he had gradually taken a liking to her because they were, in fact, both different. Deeper than that, they were opposites. Opposites, as they say, attract. This had been the case.

She understood him, she spoke to him, and she could always find the words to say to keep him guessing. To think that a young girl such as herself could fill him with questions greatly intrigued him, and so he was eager to learn from and befriend her.

When he had lost sight of what was important, she was there. When he was feeling down, it was her face that cheered him up. When he fell, her hand reached down to help him up. She had been there for him, always, and now he wasn't sure how to go on without her there.

The burden that hung over him was great, for he felt responsible and guilty that he had let her die. He not only missed her, but he blamed himself. What could he have done differently?

Thoughts raced through his mind, and his head began to ache with intensity equal to his heart's. _Why did she have to die…?_

"Marie… I'm so sorry… I… I'm so sorry I let you down…" he whispered, burying his face in his hands. The wind blew strongly, his jacket flapping violently with it. "Just tell me… Tell me what I'm supposed to do…"

There was no response to his plead, and he began to feel the pangs of loneliness tear him apart. He wished for someone to be there; someone to hold him up, to keep him from slipping into the hands of death. Suicide was on his mind…

He then realized it wasn't the answer. He had become someone of great admiration and he wielded astounding knowledge; he was needed by both patient and colleague alike. If he gave up, all he'd striven for would have been in vain. He couldn't afford to die; not when so many lives depended on his.

Marie's final words resounded in his ears. They had been of value; that was for certain. Those words, without a doubt, were another riddle. He puzzled and contemplated, relating these words with words she had spoken before. The genius of it was this: though seemingly unrelated, they came together, like a square puzzle piece that inevitably fits into a circular puzzle.

"I… think I understand Marie…" Victor murmured under his breath as if he were really speaking with her. "You're not physically here with me, but… your memories and your spirit never die… they will remain with me… in my heart…"

He was almost surprised at his words, because he was a man of science; the way he was talking was strange, for he was not one to talk of souls and the afterlife, or anything of that nature. It had all been the science, but science made death seem much more grotesque than it was. It was the flow of life. The high cost of living, as many called it. Victor, too, believed in this philosophy.

But he dug deeper. Marie believed in fate and believed that every living person had a soul, though by no scientific means, could it be traced. No life could be found in Marie now, but she was living in Victor. _Why hadn't I seen it before?_

He understood. Marie was with him all along, and he would never be alone. She would never leave him, and they would meet again, if there truly was an afterlife. And after all he had learned and experienced, Victor became a believer. There was no way it couldn't be true. He would see Marie again, and they would be friends forever. He promised this to her, and he swore that she would always remain in his mind and in his heart. If he ever needed her, he knew where she would be.

Her memories and life held importance and value. He would continue life, and until the time came for his departure, he would remember and reminisce all they had gone through on this long journey.

Everything added up in his head. He'd been circling the answer for hours and hours, but it had been within his grasp all along. He just needed to reach further, and that he did. He could finally leave and his mind could rest in a peaceful sleep.

He rose to his feet shakily; he was quite weak from sitting all day long. Letting a few more tears flow, he stared at the grave. In it lied Marie, the neko girl that had changed his life.

"Good night," he said, walking away. Though his heart was broken, he walked away with confidence. He would see her again… He knew it…

_And at last, his questions could be answered…_

_Who am I? _I am Victor Niguel, the head-researcher and developer at Caduceus USA.

_Why am I here?_ I'm here to aid the surgeons working every day to save countless lives, and I'm here to cure the ill and destroy the killing.

_What is it I'm missing?_ I'm missing a dear friend… Marie was her name. She was the little sister I never had, and she taught me who I am. She braved the storm with me, and I helped her overcome intense obstacles. We were a perfect team, never giving up on each other. She died to save us all, and she's a hero. I'll not think vainly of her death; she died with her pride intact and her soul was alleviated of pain. That is what I believe. I know I will see her again, if that is fate. Fate; it is not a man of science to believe in such a thing. But I am more than that. You showed me that, Marie. Thank you…

_You will always be in my heart… Sweet dreams…_


	9. Life In The Neko Tribe Part One Lost

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Trauma Center characters listed; this is purely for entertainment purposes

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Trauma Center characters listed; this is purely for entertainment purposes. Atlus is the copyright holder of the Trauma Center names and places.**

"Lost"

"We are most certainly lost," groaned Victor Niguel.

"It appears so…" concurred Sydney Kasal, the director of Caduceus USA and leader of the group.

The Caduceus staff sent on this "mission" was as follows: Sydney, Victor, Derek Stiles, Angie Thompson, Cybil Meyers, and Tyler Chase.

It had been almost a full 6 months since the outbreak of the deadly NRCV; the _Neko Respiratory-Cardio Virus_. The virus had been successfully defeated along with its creator, Dr. Jonas Smith. Sadly, the teen neko Marie had also died in the process. It was a victory, and also a defeat. Victor was taking it pretty hard, for he had befriended the girl, but things were moving smoother now that he'd accepted her death.

The team of 6 was hopelessly lost in the forest, and there was no sign of finding their way again either. They were being flown across the world to Europe for a mandatory conference, but their bush-plane had crashed shortly after take off and they found themselves in an unfamiliar area. The pilot of the plane was in his mid 50's, and he had a heart attack during the flight. Tragically, he died and the team had to fend for themselves. Sydney was able to land the plane a bit more softly, and fortunately no one was seriously injured. It was a miracle, but their luck soon ran out. They were lost, and they had absolutely no contact with the outside world and they were without a map.

"Dr. Stiles, would you kindly carry your _own_ bag? I'm getting tired of carrying it," Angie whined. Derek sighed and took it from her, annoyed and exhausted himself. They'd been walking in circles for hours.

"Some day we're having huh?" Tyler chimed in. "I think we should sing a song to keep our spirits up!" He then began to sing "99 bottles of beer on the wall", singing obnoxiously and loudly.

"Oh, for Pete's sake Chase, shut the hell up!" shouted Victor, already irritated before Tyler had even gotten to 97 bottles.

"Victor's right, we don't want to draw unneeded attention to ourselves. It's already dark and who knows what kind of creatures inhabit this forest," Cybil explained. Tyler grumbled and ended his song, upset that no one else wanted to sing along to kill time as they walked blindly through the pitch-black forest.

"On second thought, maybe he should sing louder. That way, when the wolves attack, they'll go after him and give us a chance to escape," said Victor, smirking.

"Ha-ha very funny Victor," Tyler said sarcastically.

"Can we just try to get along? We won't get anywhere if you guys keep bickering over childish things like this. We should just keep our eyes on the goal and continue moving forward," said Sydney. He was growing quite agitated as his team fought.

Another hour passed and it began to snow heavily. It was slowly becoming a hazardous blizzard, and they were hardly dressed for it. They all shivered, their teeth chattering and their footsteps becoming slower by the accumulating snow on the ground. Sydney stopped often to wipe off his glasses, as did Derek and Cybil.

They were in a very unwelcoming situation. They were lost, in the dark, in the forest, during a blizzard. These elements made their hopes of survival very bleak.

They hadn't eaten in hours, unable to free the emergency food from the wreckage of the bush-plane's crash. They were fatigued, hungry, and cold. The degrees didn't stop dropping either, and though the wind had died down a little bit, the snow was falling like there was no tomorrow.

With no shelter, if they lay down to rest or even to sleep, they would not make it to see morning's light, if there would be light. Clouds masked even the moon, and now they could see nothing in the darkness. Nothing provided light.

Any wood they tripped over or stepped on was too dank to feed a fire, even if they were able to find the right type of wood. They were without a match or a lighter as well, and a fire would be killed within minutes by the raging storm.

"It's useless, we can't see where the hell we're going!" screamed Victor. His voice was partially carried away in the wind, which was beginning to blow harder again.

Sydney paused, trying to think up a plan of action. He was too cold to think of anything, and he was beginning to doubt his leadership skills. His team was depending on him to rescue them and to get them through this forest and back on track, but he could not.

Suddenly, a sharp shriek pierced their ears. It was coming from Angie, who had lost her way. She'd trailed away from the group, and her scream had carried to the remaining 5.

"Angie?!" shouted Sydney, cupping his hands over his mouth to amplify his voice. There was no reply, but yet another round of sharp cries from the inevitably terrified nurse.

"Angie! Follow the sound of our voices!" yelled Derek.

A pair of yellow eyes met their calls, and the eyes approached. They bobbed up and down, glowing in the darkness and occasionally disappearing from sight as the snow covered them.

Cybil screamed, stumbling backwards and bumping into Tyler, knocking him over.

"What happened? Are you hurt?" asked Sydney in concern.

"Something grabbed me!" she shrieked.

"Calm down, it was only me," a raspy voice replied. The voice had come from the owner of yellow eyes, which was present and among the group now.

"Who are you?" asked Sydney, narrowing his eyes at the stranger's outline. He could not see him clearly, but he knew he was there because of those mysterious, glowing eyes. Judging by the position his eyes were set at, he figured the man must be a good 6'3''.

"Do not be frightened, I am only trying to help. My clan has been following you for some time, and they alerted me that if you were still lost within two hours that they would offer aid to you. Do you need assistance or not?" the man asked.

"We certainly do, but I would like to know who you are first," Sydney replied, still prodding the man for his name and any other information he could give to him.

"My name is Nobutaki if you must know. I am the leader of the neko tribe about six miles from here. We have food and shelter, and you may stay as long as you wish. We have plenty of space," the neko answered.

"What did you do with Angie?" asked Derek firmly.

"The blonde-haired woman is perfectly safe. My son, Nobutanaki, merely frightened her when he snuck up behind her. He is quite mischievous I am afraid," Nobutaki explained with a deep sigh. His breath could be seen as it rose in the frigid air.

_A neko tribe! Oh, this is perfect for my research! This is the opportunity of a lifetime Niguel, you must convince the director to accept this invitation!_ Thought Victor ecstatically. He'd learned much about neko tribes from Marie, but descriptions couldn't beat hands-on experience.

"Chief, I highly recommend we go with them. Food, shelter, it's all stuff we desperately need and don't have; what do we have to lose?" Victor urged.

"We accept!" shouted Derek with a leap of excitement. A nice, cozy bed to sleep on and a warm and toasty fire sounded wonderful. That is how he imagined the tribe's camp would be.

"Fine, we'll come," murmured Sydney. He was angered that he couldn't get the group out of this predicament himself, but he was also relieved that they would live to see another day.

"Great. Let's make haste then, the blizzard is worsening. Stay close behind and do not get lost," Nobutaki ordered as he began to walk away. He spoke with them as he trudged through the snow, asking them questions. They answered his many questions and in turn, asked their own of him. This both kept them together as a group and helped to comfort them on both sides.

They were nearing the camp and they were out of questions to ask. Well, everyone but Victor. He was taking advantage of the time and of the leader who could tell him everything he wanted to know.

They were content and felt secure now that they knew a little bit about each other, but Nobutaki seemed a little impatient with Victor, who kept the questions coming one after the other.

"Nobutaki, why is it that your English is so good?" he asked him.

"English is my mother language. That is why," he answered. Victor felt like a complete idiot now.

"Uh… yeah, I guess that would make sense," he said nervously, scratching the back of his neck.

"The camp is a half-mile away, just a little further," Nobutaki said enthusiastically. He could tell by their breathing that they were out of energy. He just needed to keep them moving a little longer.

A grueling 20 minutes later they had reached their destination. They all breathed a sigh of relief and curled up beside the fire, drying off their soaked bodies. Angie had already turned in for the night.

Derek was pleased to be informed that the shelter they would be staying in was completely stable, warm, and had finely crafted leaf beds for them to sleep in. The blankets were equally warm, he discovered, as he pulled them over him and prepared for sleep.

The shelter the 6 shared was very spacious, for it was Nobutaki's. He would sleep with his son and his friends until they left the camp, and he was happy and proud that he was able to make them feel so welcome. It was not often that human visitors stayed, and everyone was curious and excited to meet them when they awoke. For now, they would have to wait anxiously, as commanded by Nobutaki.

The group was in a deep slumber in less than 10 minutes, and they snored ever so loudly. They'd earned a well-deserved rest, though, and they slept peacefully within the neko tribe that, as of now, was home.


	10. Laws of the Camp

The wind's harshness had ended, and the blizzard passed over

The wind's harshness had ended, and the blizzard passed over. All was calm in the neko tribe that morning, and the first to awake was Angie, who was sitting beside the fire eating some bread.

"I am glad you enjoy the bread, Angie," Nobutaki stated with great pride. The bread was result of the wheat they harvested in their acres of farmland, but the brutal winter made it difficult to keep the crops thriving long enough for them to grow to their entirety. Luckily, they were able to harvest enough wheat before the storm hit to keep them fed for the week.

"Yes, it's very good," was Angie's reply. She nibbled on it politely, though she was very hungry. Nobutaki smiled at her, and she looked at him in confusion.

"Oh, I am sorry. It's just that, you look similar to my wife. I am afraid she passed away when she gave birth to Nobutanaki…" he explained, a frown playing on his face.

"That's terribly awful… I'm so sorry…" Angie said quietly.

They spoke for many minutes, talking about the tribe in general and how the tribe connected with the outside world. Nobutaki explained that human resources took notice of them and offered aid, and that the tribe graciously accepted. Though they could not give them much, something that was surplus was clothing, which is why the entire tribe was dressed casually and not savagely which would have been highly expected.

Still, clothing was just about all that could be offered. Everything else had to be hand made, including the shelters and the blankets. The shelters were similar to cabins, made of wood and stone. To keep the heat in and the cold out, animal hides were pressed against the walls. Blankets were made of the animal fur, and the women of the tribe fabricated them using animal fangs and such as knitting needles. They certainly used the resources they had to their advantage. Nothing was taken for granted, and the quality of life was high for the nekos because, though they knew what they were without, they did not let it bother them. Having the chance to raise their families and live in peace was something humans did not often get to have.

"I understand you need to leave this village, Ms. Thompson, but we are quite far from civilization. This village is in a very private location. However, humanitarian groups will be passing through here again soon, I would say in about two weeks, and you can return home with them. They bring planes and all that, so bringing you to where you need to go should be no problem. You will just have to deal with us until then," explained Nobutaki. Angie thanked him and continued to eat her breakfast.

She and the group had been supplied with wind-breakers, and it was enough to keep them warm. The temperature was stabilizing, and it was a warm day for winter.

Though Angie had the ability to wake from sleep well rested and at her will, the remaining four were rudely awakened by Tyler, who was singing at an annoyingly high volume as he bathed in the hot spring.

Bathing was not often something that neko civilizations had the ability to do, but for this fortunate tribe, they discovered a large hot spring beneath the ground and dug it up, creating a bathing pool. The luxury of bathing alone was a rare privilege, but Tyler was one of the exceptional few. Everyone was kept at bay with his terrible singing, even the neko men who dearly needed to bathe. They were willing to suffer the wait until the human was finished.

"Dr. Chase, please do us all a favor and stop that horrible racket," Sydney said with a sigh as he entered the hot spring to bathe. He took off his glasses and set them on the ground beside him.

"Aw, you don't like my singing Chief?" asked Tyler disappointingly. Derek also stepped into the hot spring, copying Sydney by taking off his glasses and setting them down.

"Nobody likes your singing, Tyler," answered Derek with a laugh.

"Man, you're just jealous," said Tyler with a scoff. He was thoroughly convinced he had the most irresistible voice on the planet. "Anyway, what's the curtain for?"

"That curtain is what separates the men's side from the women's side," Sydney told him. The curtain was also fabricated by the women, using fine animal hides. It served its purpose well. It was hung between two trees whose branches spread out over the hot spring, and it was tied so tightly to those branches that not even the strongest winds could take it down.

A smile crept across Tyler's face. Sydney automatically knew what had brought it on.

"Chase, don't you _dare_," he warned with a glare.

"Don't dare what? I'm afraid I don't have a clue what you're talking about," Tyler answered as if he was innocent. Though he was professional, no one could go as far to say he was mature.

"C'mon, Tyler, don't get us into trouble," Derek pleaded. He already knew his pleads wouldn't change a thing.

"Just a teensy weensy little peek…" he said as he clenched the end of the curtain in his hand.

"I'm warning you Chase!" Sydney yelled.

Tyler looked like he was about to expose the bathing neko women on the other side of the curtain when a large silhouette cast over them. The shadow belonged to Sgorr, one of the neko men. He had a build that any body-builder in his right mind would die to have. His frame was very large, leveling out his massive body which was covered in inches of muscle. He was a lady-killer, and whenever he passed by the women would sigh and stop what they were doing just to watch him. He wore a black muscle shirt and sweat pants, which made him appear he'd just come from the gym, had there been one for nekos of course.

Tyler sank deep into the water at the sight of the man. His unfriendly eyes stared him down. He was huge, towering over all the men of the tribe. It was no question that he was to be well-respected by all.

"We do not take kindly to pigs," Sgorr said harshly. "Men that witness a woman naked before marriage answer to me, and none of you are married, correct? Any man who commits this taboo will be prosecuted immediately, and the prosecution is not a pleasant one, am I understood?"

"Y-yes, sir…" he answered with a high-pitched voice. Sgorr spat on the ground and walked away. Justice had been paid.

"Gee, nice going Tyler," Derek said scornfully. Sydney just shook his head.

After their frightening encounter with Sgorr, the humans did not dare do anything to disturb their way of life again. That was the first thing they learned: not to tamper with their laws and justices.

It had been a few minutes and still the men hadn't left the bathing pool. It was so warm and cozy that they didn't want to get out and brave the cold. Victor at this time had finally gotten out of bed, and he came over to join them.

He waited impatiently, a towel provided by Nobutaki in hand. He stood by the hot spring, tapping his foot and waiting for them to leave.

"The water isn't going to bite you, Victor," said Derek.

"I know it's not going to bite me, idiot, I'm just waiting for you guys to get out," he retorted.

"Niguel, get your ass in the water now or don't get in at all," ordered Sydney. Victor was acting quite childish, and his stubborn-ness always got him into trouble with the director.

"I can wait," Victor replied sheepishly.

"Homophobic much? Dude, just get in. You don't have to worry about us, I tried to sneak a peek at the ladies and I got in trouble, so there's your proof," said Tyler.

"Well… I don't need an audience," he growled, motioning for them to turn away as he undressed. They did as commanded with a sigh. Victor was so difficult at times.

With a sharp cry of surprise as he stepped into the "scorching" water, Victor got in and sank into the hot spring. He grimaced at the water.

"Ugh, who knows what vile things are swimming in this water…" he said in disgust.

"Yeah, who knows what's swimming in it now that _you're_ in here!" shouted Tyler playfully. Victor just snorted and turned away. _Imbeciles… _He thought.

Their means of being transported to their destination was already settled and wasn't within their reach yet, so the team decided they might as well relax and try to think of their stay as a vacation. They were already adjusting to their surroundings, and life in the neko tribe may not be so bad. For Victor, one thing was for sure: this would be an educational experience, and it could even, perhaps, be _fun_.

**A/N: Well, there's chapter two for ya! I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it. It isn't often that I find myself writing humorous chapters. Until next time, Trauma Center fans! **


	11. Painful Memories

After three days it was already obvious who was favored and by which groups

After three days it was already obvious who was favored and by which groups. Sydney was greatly liked by the older men and women, and Nobutaki especially expressed his admiration. Cybil was popular amongst the older men too, even Sgorr, who liked none of the other humans. Angie was despised by all the females of the tribe, but many of the young men appreciated her. Derek, in turn, was hated by the majority of the men and liked well by the younger women, including some of the younger teens. Tyler was a nuisance to the elderly and the mid-40-year-old nekos, but all the children loved him and begged for his constant attention. His laid-back personality was a magnet for the younger teens in the tribe as well.

Victor, however, wasn't liked by any particular group. His stubborn ness along with his short fuse kept many of the nekos away from him, and he didn't interact with them much. He didn't know why, because though their aura was weak, he was fairly calm-hearted and relaxed when he was in their presence. It had never been easy for him to make friends, but he never imagined talking with them would be so difficult. The truth was, they were afraid of him. His cold, dark eyes and his unsmiling face made him a threat.

"Cheer up, dude, they like you," Tyler said reassuringly, giving Victor a gentle slug on the shoulder. He just shook his head and brushed him off. He was busy observing a neko child's reaction to a foreign object.

"I don't care if they like me or not, at least I'm getting some work done while you guys are sitting around doing nothing. I'm being productive," he growled. Tyler shrugged and walked off. He hated Victor's seriousness.

"Hmm…" pondered the child, scratching his head. He fumbled with the pen in his hands, trying to activate the "amazing" thing it was supposed to do. Victor sighed heavily, rolling his eyes and beginning to tap his foot. The child's eyes started darting wildly, noticing Victor's behavior change. He knew what the human _wanted_ him to do, but he just couldn't understand.

"Oh, give it here already," Victor snapped, snatching the pen from the boy's hand. "Run along now." The child obeyed and rushed off. It was no mystery why the children did not like Victor.

"That's the fourth subject you've scared off," said Cybil as she sat down on the log beside him.

"I didn't know you were keeping count…" grumbled Victor.

"You aren't fond of kids then?" she inquired, though she already knew the answer. He shook his head no, staring at the ground in disappointment. "Try being gentler, kids will be kids. You just have to be patient with them."

"It's not just that…" he began. "Every time I look at them, I see Marie…"

"I see…" she said, nodding her head. "I'm not a psychiatrist, but I can see that you're struggling to cope with your loss. If you want my opinion, I think you're afraid of letting her go completely, because you think if you do, you'll have nothing to hold onto and your attempts at understanding nekos will have been in vain."

"…Yeah… Maybe that's it…"

"Is that why you've been so harsh? Is it just painful for you?"

"It is… I still have nightmares every now and again…" Victor explained, turning away from her as his eyes began to water. "Just knowing that I failed… that in itself is making this hard…"

"Give it time, Niguel. Time heals all things," said Cybil, giving him a gentle rub on the back as she got up and left.

He watched her leave, feeling a little lonely, yet relieved that if the tears flowed, no one would be there to witness them.

**A/N: Okay… That was short, sorry! I just didn't want to get too deep into this chapter, so I cut it short so I could start the next one with a fresh and new idea. You know how that goes. **


	12. Frighteningly Familiar

Victor, after several minutes of shutting out his feelings, lost the battle and broke down

Victor, after several minutes of shutting out his feelings, lost the battle and broke down. He cried quietly and not for long, but in the time that he did, a young girl discovered him. He was all alone and undoubtedly upset, so she did what her instincts had taught her. She hugged him around the waist, laying her head against him and crying along, but for no apparent reason.

His eyes were wide in shock. He'd never met this little girl, and here she was in his lap crying her heart out. He checked to see if she was hurt, but found that she wasn't. She was perfectly fine.

"Better?" the sweet little neko asked. Her tail was wagging like a puppy's and her ears were dancing cheerfully on her head. The tears had already dried from her large, blue eyes.

"Yeah…" he replied unsurely. He did feel better, strangely. She smiled up at him. Her two front teeth were missing, making it obvious that she couldn't have been older than 3 or 4.

Now, Victor wasn't one to believe in the ever so "contagious smile", but seeing this little neko grin was too adorable to resist. He smiled back at her, and a small and pleasant giggle resulted. She got off his lap and rushed off, bringing her baby brother in her arms to him. The baby was certainly a new-born, judging by his size. He was wrapped in a fur blanket and was sleeping soundly.

"Here," she said, handing him to Victor. She had nearly dropped him on the way back to him, because though he was a small 7-pound bundle, he was quite heavy for her. Taking the baby in his arms, he rocked him fatherly, trying to lull him back to sleep, for he had almost awakened.

"He's cute," said Victor, eyes brightening at the sight of the adorable baby boy. However, it was frighteningly apparent the infant was sick and that something was wrong. His breathing was raspy and choked. He was very pale, not the normal pinkish color babies should be. The fur on his ears was also ragged and dirty, which wasn't normal either. All the other nekos kept their fur groomed and healthy. The other infants he had seen kept their ears clean even without grooming them themselves, because their fur was growing and shiny as it was. "How old is he?"

"I think he's… two months old," she answered, recollecting her thoughts. Her rust colored ears began swiveling suddenly. She could hear something Victor couldn't, and it was clear she was scared. "I-is something wrong with my brother…?"

Victor glanced down at the infant, not noticing any difference from when she had brought him to him moments earlier.

"I think he's sick, but I don't see anything else too unusual," he answered blankly, still trying to come up with a diagnosis that fit the child's symptoms.

"Don't you hear that _awful_ sound?" she asked, pressing her ears down against her brown hair to shut out the sound. Victor shook his head. "You're a doctor aren't you? Please, tell me what's wrong with him."

"I'm not a doctor, but I have colleagues that are. Stiles! Come here, would you?" he called across the camp. Derek walked over casually, not sensing urgency in Victor's voice.

"What is it?" he asked, looking down at the baby. Derek cooed soothingly at him, his eyes now open, but he didn't respond like a normal baby would have…

"Can you take a look at him? The girl thinks something's wrong," Victor said as he handed him to Derek.

"He does look a little bit pale, I'll have a look," he said, ordering Angie to bring his bag of medical instruments over. He examined him, finding nothing wrong on the outside. What was hidden from view on the inside was what answered everything.

Placing his stethoscope on the infant's chest, he listened for several seconds, and right away something sounded abnormal. Not just abnormal, but _familiar_.

"Victor…" he said quietly, listening harder. "I think this baby is infected with the NRCV…"

**A/N: I apologize for the length of this one. It was pretty late on Sunday when I was writing it. I hope you enjoyed it, things are getting mysterious now…**

**Until next time…**


	13. Rinken

Victor stared at the young surgeon, completely speechless

Victor stared at the young surgeon, completely speechless. The virus they'd gone through hell to destroy…was back?

"You're serious, Stiles?" asked Victor, furrowing his brow.

"I'm completely serious. I can hear it screaming," was Derek's reply. Victor paced, thinking of what could be done. They had all the tools necessary to perform an operation, but no serum to destroy the virus. Of course Victor hadn't brought it along, there was no need. Luckily, the virus could be removed, and hopefully it would be enough. Derek always had his bag of medical instruments, so surgery would have to take place immediately to ensure the infant's survival.

"Is my little brother going to be okay…?" asked the frightened young neko girl, tears filling her eyes. Derek rubbed her head and smiled, answering with a gentle and reassuring "yes". The next moment, the neko tribe was ordered to clear a shelter to serve as an O.R., and it was definitely a risky procedure. No heart monitor, no anesthesia, and no shield from the elements but a wooden roof. Things were beginning to look bleak before the operation had begun.

"Dr. Stiles, are you sure we can really perform an operation _here_?" asked Angie.

"If we wait until we're taken to Caduceus Europe, the infant will surely be killed before then. We've dealt with the virus before, we know what has to be done and we know what could happen if we don't hurry. The effects could be devastating, especially on a patient so young. We have to do it now," answered Derek. Angie nodded unsurely, preparing the patient and the "O.R.".

Sydney was greatly against the operation, and he was positive they would fail. Cybil went on to explain the risks of the procedure without the use of anesthesia, and how painful and unbearable it would be for the new-born. It was hard to argue with the director and a highly skilled anesthesiologist, but what choice did Derek have? He lived to help people, and this baby needed his help terribly. He had to proceed.

Angie gave a succinct briefing and with their fingers crossed, the operation began.

The Caduceus Six held their breaths as the incision was made. The baby was already howling in pain, making it very difficult to focus. Cybil was nearly in tears, as well as Angie at hearing the infant's cries of distress. The worst had not even been experienced, but the child was thoroughly convinced he was being killed.

Soothingly, Cybil stroked the boy's hair and spoke softly to him, trying to ease the pain or to at least take his mind off it. Of course, it wasn't every day you had your chest cut open for no apparent reason.

What Derek saw next made his heart stop. Before his eyes was not what he had expected. The NRCV did not look the way _this_ did, and he feared this was something much more severe.

Victor's eyes widened, staring at the small object swimming around in the blood sack around the baby's heart. It was indeed an intimidating sight.

Nobutaki, who had accompanied them as well suddenly stood up and shrieked. He was backing up, staring in horror at the object that was swimming _inside_ one of his people.

"_Rinken…_" he whispered, dropping to his knees in despair.

"Pardon me…?" queried Sydney, his brow furrowed and his voice nearly inaudible.

"Rinken, it's… it's the virus that _killed_ all those nekos in the war and wiped out half my tribe in a single night… I knew his mother had it, but I did not know she had passed it to him…" he answered woefully. "Rinken was created by a neko doctor; his name was Dr. Jonas Rinken Smith."

Everyone gasped, thoughts racing through their minds of the events that had unfolded only 6 months before. Dr. Jonas Smith, Marie's father, was the creator of the NRCV, which was actually called "Rinken" originally, after his middle name according to Nobutaki.

He was dead now, but somehow his virus did not die with him like they'd desperately hoped. This infant had contracted it from his mother, but the question was: where is his mother?

"I'm afraid the boy's mother passed away after giving birth to him. It was strange, because she was very strong and she fought the virus for so long. I thought her will-power had defeated it, but then she died. I never imagined he'd caught the virus too," explained Nobutaki, answering their question without them even asking it aloud.

"Stiles, don't you get it? He contracted the virus from his mother, and that sort of case isn't very common, obviously, because we've never had one like it. This means that when the virus spreads to the fetus, it becomes a new_ strain_!" shouted Victor, adding all the pieces together and discovering the problem they were currently faced with.

"Victor, you're a genius," said Derek, still concentrating on the patient.

"Well we all know that. Now, since it's a new strain, we'll probably have to find a new way to kill it. I suggest you go with the SSIE method."

"What method?" asked Derek looking at his colleague with a raised eye-brow.

"The SSIE method, the stun it, stab it, inject it, extract it technique. Only, skip the inject part obviously since we don't have any serum," explained Victor.

Derek did as instructed and stunned the virus with the laser. Being cautious not to burn any of the tissue, he used the laser on the quick-moving virus many times to ensure that it was stunned long enough and incapable of escaping the stroke of the scalpel. The virus let out a small shriek, but nothing more. Derek had already stabbed it with the scalpel before it could release another sharp, heart-stopping cry.

Victor watched carefully for any signs of movement beneath the virus, because if it planted anything unexpected in the heart while it was dying, they needed to get rid of it right away.

The baby was still bawling, wanting his torture to end. It had been a brutal 10 minutes, and he was about ready to surrender to the virus and die if it meant the suffering would end. Cybil continued to soothe him as Derek removed the virus with care and placed it in the Petri dish provided at his side by Angie. He used the ultra-sound to search for any other surprises, but no other foreign objects could be detected. With a sigh of relief, Derek applied anti-bacterial gel to all the infected areas created by the Rinken and sutured the incision.

Victor gritted his teeth, glaring at the virus that lied dead in the Petri dish. The operation was completed, but the war between doctor and virus was far from over to Victor's dismay.


	14. 7 Deadly Strains

And so began the tremendous struggle of the tribe

And so began the tremendous struggle of the tribe. What was once a neko haven was now a death site. Anyone could be infected with Smith's "Rinken". The nekos had expressed great hospitality towards the six, and it was their turn to repay them. With the aid of a medical director, a researcher, an anesthesiologist, a nurse, and two surgeons, Nobutanaki's people had a fighting chance.

"From what I have heard, there are seven strains of Rinken. I can tell you everything I know if you want me to," said Nobutaki.

"Please do," replied Sydney.

"Jonas Smith was known as the 'mixer of languages'. He was a genius; he created a language which only he knew in order to name his strains accordingly. The strains are Kirani, Reverbria, Hinari, Jarklave, Meningi, Lacerian, and Derminica." Sydney nodded, urging the neko leader to continue.

"Kirani causes heart attack symptoms. It also plants Reverbria in the host's heart before it dies. Reverbria is normally harmless and only vibrates within and screeches. If threatened, however, it has been known to become a core and release bands that constrain the heart."

"That's what Victor had…" recalled Derek.

"Hinari is the plural for the two strains that work together as a duo, 'Hin' and 'Ari'. Hin is blue, it severs arteries and veins. Ari is red in color; it severs heart muscles and infects the blood. If they fuse together and form into 'Hinari', it becomes a larger, even more life-threatening virus that attacks the heart, as well as the lungs if it spreads," he described. "Jarklave is one of the worst, but fortunately, humans cannot contract it due to the strain's intolerance of human blood. It also attacks the heart, and it kills its host slowly and painfully. It has fang-like barbs that protrude from it and it combines that with its teeth, which it uses to bite the host's heart. With every heartbeat, the Jarklave sinks its teeth into the organ deeper and deeper, and the barbs that keep it attached only become more inseparable. It infects, penetrates, severs, and kills if untreated; it's no strain to sneeze at."

"So how is Jarklave killed?" asked Victor.

"The serum is complicated. We know it works, though, because my son had Jarklave. The serum must include human blood, the same type as the victim's, lead, and concentrated amounts of mercury,"

"What the hell kind of serum is that?!" exploded Victor. Everyone shuddered at his sudden outburst. It was unlike him to lose his cool like that.

Nobutaki drew in a shallow breath, staring into the dark eyes of the cantankerous researcher.

"I do not make the rules Mr. Niguel… I only follow them to ensure the survival of my people… But the Rinken we're facing here is not Smith's! Someone else is creating it!"

"Someone else?" queried Cybil.

"I don't know who it is, but the Rinken was never this deadly… The type I saw in that infant, it's not normal! I couldn't even distinguish the strain it was so awkward… I worry that someone has perfected it… I think the final two strains have been released at last…" he murmured.

"I'll make a serum. Just explain the other strains to me and tell me what kills them and those little bastards are dead," stated Victor confidently.

"Meningi is often mistaken by doctors as meningitis, because it produces similar test results to that illness. The symptoms are similar, and the Meningi is located in the brain. It's deadly because it latches onto the part of the brain that controls breathing and heartbeat, and it aggravates that area, causing respiratory and cardiac problems. That's what makes Meningi so dangerous, because it does this at will. Plus, surgery is dangerous with Meningi. When exposed to light, its scream rises as time passes, and that screech can make concentration almost impossible. To defeat it, along with all the other strains setting aside Jarklave, Lacerian, and Derminica, you need to compose a serum including any sort of mercury or heated liquid. I'm not sure why, but certain chemicals kill them and mercury often does the trick. I'm sure they've made Rinken immune to any type of chemical now, so be cautious of that. I would suggest going with any substance with mercury," Nobutaki explained. "Lacerian is equally deadly. It uses saliva as its ally, toxic and acid-like saliva that burns through tissue. It then follows up using its sharply-pointed tail to create lacerations. Within the laceration, it entirely infects and rots away the soft and more vulnerable tissue inside, eventually destroying the organ completely. Any organ in the abdominal area or chest cavity is at risk."

"That sounds like one gnarly virus," said Tyler.

"The last and final strain is Derminica. This strain is the most deadly by far. There is no doubt that you will find it difficult to defeat it. This strain creates tumors, lacerations, hemorrhages, infects the whole body, narrows the passages of blood vessels, and worst of all it can control body functions. It varies in size, and it changes based on what it's trying to accomplish. It can be small enough to disguise as a nerve impulse or blood cell, or large enough to cause organs to collapse in an instant. There's no telling what it looks like, it changes constantly. Jonas Smith told me this himself, he's… a cousin of mine actually… I guess it was finally released though, but I'm not sure. If he didn't, it was certainly one of his colleagues that did so. I just hope the virus fails to harm anyone and that it dies before it can…" explained Nobutaki further. "Now, to kill Derminica and Lacerian, you need blood types of all humans, frozen neko blood of the same type as the victim's, concentrated amounts of carbon, and spinal fluid. Smith wanted to make killing this damned virus impossible, but he didn't realize he was speaking with an opposing team-member here. With this information, I hope you are able to succeed in the destruction of Rinken. I pray that you win the battle."

"Thanks. The chances look slim, considering we have no materials here to create a serum…" grumbled Victor.

"Human resources will not arrive for another few days, but we can use what we've got. If you hadn't noticed, we have plenty of humans, and their blood is essential for killing the virus…" Nobutaki smirked.

"I am sending my son to search for the mercury deposit we discovered 16 years ago. Maybe it's rich in the stuff by now. In the mean time, we can start creating serums with what we are provided with already, so I suggest we begin immediately."

In the days that followed, all the materials that could be were gathered and blended as needed into a variety of serums that could be used to rid the ill of Rinken. It would be a risk for doctor as well as patient, especially with the paralyzing screeches the Rinken possessed, but Derek Stiles and Tyler Chase promised that nothing would stand in their way of saving lives, even if those lives weren't human.


	15. Farewells and Destruction

A/N: I apologize for misspelling Sidney's name in previous fan fictions and previous chapters of this fan fiction

**A/N: I apologize for misspelling Sidney's name in previous fan fictions and previous chapters of this fan fiction. I haven't played Second Opinion in a long time; I just completed New Blood over the weekend. That was fun, by the way, but I feel bad that I spelled his name wrong. I've been neglecting poor Second Opinion for so long! Well, anyway, enjoy this chapter. It should be very interesting for ya'll… **

You could say all their efforts had been in vain. That everything they strove for… was of no value and served no purpose. What was it about this Rinken that plagued Nobutaki's tribe that made it so difficult to kill? It had survived through generations, becoming more advanced, more powerful, and more undefeatable. But why? No one was sure now who the sole creator was. Everywhere they turned, someone else led them onto a different and longer track that seemed endless. They would reach the end, only to be shown that they'd made a wrong turn. Why was the Rinken living despite all the surgeons had done? They tried everything, every procedure, operation, method, serum, cure… Nothing affected it. Derek and Tyler had tried for two weeks to rid the neko tribe of the ruthless virus, but all their attempts failed. One moment a patient would be healing, and the next they would be dead, infected with a worse strain that was beyond their control.

They had never been told what made Rinken live, thrive; but they knew that there was nothing to be done. They tried to their best ability, but hopelessly failed. The neko haven was no longer a death site, but a cemetery. Neko corpses covered the ground, and it was a depressing sight to behold. Though they had done everything they were told to do to kill the Rinken, it hadn't prevailed. Even without the most deadly strain, Derminica, the majority of Nobutaki's tribe had suffered painful deaths.

"I'm… sorry… but there is no hope for your son…" Derek said, gritting his teeth and fighting back painful memories of his own incurable father. "I was hoping I'd never have to say those words… But… he is untreatable…"

Nobutaki, drawing in shallow and labored breaths, stared up at the heavens and prayed desperately. But his prayers went unanswered from the moment he began pleading, because he felt the warmth that his son's body held soon cool to an ice temperature. He had been dying in his arms for several minutes, and at last his struggle to live died, as did he.

"No! He can't be gone, he can't! He's my son! Why did this happen, I don't understand! Mercury, it was supposed to kill Rinken! Why didn't it work?!" cried Nobutaki, sobbing in his son's shirt. "He was all I had left!"

"Lord Nobutaki, what will we do?" asked Sgorr, looming over him. The final four members of the tribe stood behind him, awaiting their leader's orders.

"What _can_ we do? Nobutanaki's dead, along with all our women and children… We will not survive, not to this hellish virus… This is the final generation of nekos, we will be extinct soon enough…"

"Don't say that! You won't go extinct! I'm sure there…" Angie started.

"There's a cure? There's hope? Hope got us no where! Even with the most skilled medical personnel on Earth, Rinken was not destroyed. It slaughtered my entire tribe, what makes you think it has not done the same to other neko villages?" Nobutaki retorted angrily.

"Nobutaki, if you six come with us, we can find you help and we can continue to research Rinken, together! You know more about it than us, and if we keep trying, we can get rid of it!" Angie exclaimed.

"There is no chance of it! My cousin was not a fool; he made sure there were no loop holes! And he succeeded, because there aren't, and we're all just waiting to die at this point!" he shot back. His eyes became very cloudy, and flames appeared to dance in the tear filled irises. He stared at Angie, and she fell into a trance-like state staring back into the large cat-like eyes. "I am dead…"

"Nobutaki, you're not dead yet!" Derek shouted, snapping Angie out of her trance. "We can still save you and the others!"

"No. You can't," whispered one of the six neko men. He was scrawny, his black hair down to his back and his ears a pale white. His eyes were the color of ice and just as cold, if not colder. "You will not save anyone, because I have already killed them all…"

"What are you talking about…?" Sidney asked quietly.

"I am Jonas' dear, younger brother… And I willingly accepted my fate: to avenge him and to keep his virus alive. To continue his Rinken and to make sure nekos are wiped from the planet in its name…" the man said under his raspy breath. "My name is Skorne, as I like to be called, and I am the second creator of Rinken and its hive… When I die, all seven strains will be released from my body, and everyone within 10 miles will be infected. With seven strains attacking at once, the chain will continue until all beings, neko and human alike, are terminated."

"You've been infecting them after we treated them!" Victor yelled.

"You catch on fast, foolish human! But it's too late, because soon, you'll all be dead… I'll see to it!" Skorne declared, pulling a syringe from his pocket and drawing a vile of blood from his own vein. Not a soul moved. Everyone's attention was on the insane neko man, who no one had taken notice to beforehand. In a flash, the syringe was plunged into Nobutaki's neck and he was dead.

"Face my airborne virus!" Skorne exclaimed, laughing hysterically, as his older brother had 6 months ago before his death.

"Don't just stand there, run!" instructed Sidney, breaking into a sprint in the other direction. The others followed, all but Sgorr who fought to keep Skorne from chasing them and seeing to their inevitable infection.

Cybil looked back, eyes widening. "Sgorr!" she called.

"Go! Don't look back, go!" he screamed, bashing Skorne's head against one of the shelters.

"It's airborne, they will die no matter what you do!" scoffed Skorne, his head torn open from the beating he received from Sgorr.

"Not if I can help it!" he answered furiously, setting the camp and the corpses on fire. "Heat destroys all!" The entire camp went up in red flames, creating a forest fire.

Smoke filled the air, along with the cries of the defeated Skorne and the blood-curdling screams of his Rinken.

"Angie, you must go on without us! We could be infected, we must return and die with our tribe before anyone else is infected!" said one of the younger men, one she had grown very fond of. They were in the clearing now, and they were safe from the dancing flames of the raging fire.

"No… No Yashuma, come with us please! We'll treat you, I promise!" she pleaded.

"Wait for Sgorr… He is half human, he cannot contract the virus as easily as us, and I doubt he did… He's a dearly respected member, and I know he will continue our tribe… Make sure he survives, for me…" Yashuma answered quietly. Truthfully, Yashuma had fallen in love with Angie while they'd stayed in the tribe, and he was resentful to let her go. Reluctant as he was, he couldn't let this woman that he adored so die because of his fatal illness. He would die with honor, and at least he could say one last good-bye.

"Yashuma… I'm so sorry…" Angie cried, hugging the neko man one last time. Though she did not share his strong feelings, she was upset that her treasured friend was leaving to die for his tribe… It was heart-breaking for her, and she was all but devastated.

Final farewells followed, drawing their stay with the nekos to an end. With the Rinken Skorne perfected destroyed, they could do nothing but wait as Yashuma had requested for Sgorr, the tribe's last hope.

Angie and Cybil cried a little, making the men a bit misty as well, because they had to helplessly let people die. It was against their instincts, per se, as medical staff, because that is what they lived for, to help people. Even Victor couldn't help but fall victim to the depression that resulted from this tragic experience.

Out of the burning forest emerged Sgorr, coughing and torched from the flames. Cybil was the first to rush upon him, helping him to where the other five remained waiting.

"This looks bad, we have to operate immediately if we want to save him!" shouted Derek. Tyler quickly concurred.

"No dice, this is a bad move. Burns too severe will become infected in a matter of minutes, we're low on antibiotic gel and it'll be too much pain for him to endure," Sidney interjected.

"Chief, you have to let us try. We can worry about infection once we get him to a hospital, but right now we need to worry about the burns," Tyler renounced. Sidney sighed, agreeing that it was in the neko's best interest for them to begin operating, whether they were successful or not. Anything they had would be better than nothing at all.

Laying Sgorr down, Victor, Angie, and Cybil prepared Sgorr for emergency surgery. Sidney briefed Derek and Tyler accordingly, and without further hesitation, Derek announced: "Let's begin the operation."


	16. Sgorr's Decision

A/N: Well, there you have it

Sgorr was brave, that was for sure. He was being operated on without painkillers of any kind and without the use of anesthesia. He was in intense pain, though he didn't say it. His expression, however, gave him away. His face was screwed up into a grimace, result of the painful procedure underway on his torso. He'd been badly burned from the shoulders down to his waist, and the surgeons had to check for internal burns before anything else could be done.

"You're doing very well," said Cybil, gripping his hand tightly.

"Looking at you makes the pain partly bearable…" Sgorr said with a grin. He had a crush on her from the start; she was a desirable woman for a man such as himself. He'd never liked any of the neko women that drooled over him, but of course preferred a hard-to-get human woman. He was charming, and though a few years younger, Cybil agreed he was attractive as well.

The two surgeons worked quickly, using the unburned skin as transplant material to allow the burned and removed skin to heal. It was a common technique. Sgorr groaned in pain every time another section of the skin on his chest was removed and replaced. The pain was only intensifying.

"Vitals stabilized," announced Angie. Derek nodded, continuing the operation. Sidney looked on; checking for anything Angie or the two may have missed.

"Dude, I don't know if he's going to make it you know? He's in pretty bad condition already, it's not like we can do much for him," stated Tyler.

"Sgorr, are you in a lot of pain?" asked Derek.

"No, I'm fine…" answered Sgorr ruefully. He was, like many, afraid of being considered weak. Thus, he acted as if it was nothing, though it was a lie that everyone could see through.

"You don't have to act brave for us; we know how painful this is. It must be excruciating, so you need to let me know if we need to stop," said Derek calmly.

"Keep going…" Sgorr said weakly, shutting his eyes. Cybil worried he was losing consciousness, but was fortunately incorrect.

"Operation successful!" declared Derek and Tyler as the operation was completed an hour later. They gave one another high fives and patted each other on the back. Sgorr's face had been deprived of color, but he was alive.

As if on cue, a helicopter pulled in and landed above them on the ledge, sending a rope ladder down. The co-pilot, megaphone in hand, shouted to them.

"You must be the survivors! Hurry up, the fire is spreading fast!" he yelled into the megaphone.

"Thank you!" answered Sidney gleefully, fortunate that the nightmare they'd been through was over.

"Oh no, there's seven of you? You're out of luck, there's barely room for five more people in here!" said the co-pilot.

"Right…" murmured Sidney, his voice all but drowned out by the rapidly spinning propellers of the helicopter. He ordered the group to load onto the helicopter and to leave, and four of them did so without hesitation, not daring to defy the director. Cybil, however, did not go so quietly.

"No, Sidney, we can't leave you here. Get on the helicopter, I'll stay," she argued.

"Don't be ridiculous Meyers, we need you at Caduceus," Sidney interjected.

"There are plenty of doctors that can administer anesthesia properly, you don't need me. Caduceus needs a director, and there are none more valuable than you, Director Kasal," she stated. Sidney still refused to go and leave Cybil behind, and the co-pilot was becoming impatient.

"Director! Come on! You have to come with us, Caduceus will be hopeless without you!" shouted Derek from the helicopter. Sidney sighed, shaking his head, and ascended the rope ladder to join the other staff, accepting defeat. Though, it was a triumph as well, because somehow, he knew they wouldn't be leaving without Cybil. There was just no way it would happen, so he accepted her requests, yet knowing in some way, that it wouldn't come down to measures as drastic as that.

"There's still room for one more!" the co-pilot shouted down to Cybil and Sgorr.

"Will you be able to make it up yourself?" Cybil asked Sgorr, helping him to his feet. He was wobbly, but he was able to keep his footing.

"Cybil Meyers…" Sgorr began. "I cherished every moment I had with you. You're a wonderful person, and a woman of great talent. I will miss you."

"You won't have to; they'll come back for me. Sidney was just being overly dramatic, that's all," she replied with a chuckle, leading him to the rope ladder. Sgorr took her by the hand, shaking his head.

"I will miss you, because it is I that will stay," he declared weakly, lifting her up to the ladder. "They will not make a special trip back here to rescue an injured neko, you know that."

"Sgorr…" she said softly, feeling helpless.

"You were a valuable friend, and I won't forget you… I greatly enjoyed your company. You may… be the only woman I ever loved," he told her. At this, she blushed. "You have to go and resume your work at Caduceus… Rinken is sure to be back, I'd count on it. With your team, you'll be able to defeat it one day, I'm sure of it." He let go of her hand, forcing her to hold onto the helicopter's rope ladder as he flagged for it to take off before she could try and refuse.

"No! Sgorr, wait! You have to come with us! You're still hurt!" she screamed, reaching down for him. She was normally cool, calm, and collected; this was definitely strange behavior for her.

"We won't meet again Cybil Meyers! I'll be long dead before help comes for me, and it isn't because Derek and Tyler did anything wrong in the operation! They did all they could, and I thank them for that, but I must go as my tribe has! It's what's best, remember that! Now I can go, knowing you'll all be alright!" he shouted as the helicopter began to rise up off the ledge. His heart had been changed by the Caduceus six, and tears filled his eyes as he saw the helicopter depart.

"Sgorr!" Cybil cried, tears streaming down her face. It was quite upsetting on her behalf, having met such a big, bulky neko that on the inside was a kind and pleasant gentleman. Letting him go like this seemed so wrong, but Sgorr saw things differently, so she respected his decision to stay.

"Thank you all! Good bye!" he shouted.

"Good bye, Sgorr!" Cybil answered, clinging tightly to the rope ladder. The six waved to him until he was no longer in sight, and Cybil finally climbed up the ladder and sat with her colleagues. They all pat her on the back and reassured her that it was for the best, and she only nodded. She understood, but there was still so much she and the others didn't understand…

With heavy hearts, they left the premises where so much had occurred. They'd learned a lot, and it was a reminder that for people of medicine, there were no vacations. There were always more viruses to defeat, and always more patients to save.

The Rinken would be back, and its wrath would be vengeful. They would be ready, knowing what they did now. It still left a bad taste in their mouth, knowing that nekos' extinction was rapidly approaching due to this virus…

_However, what had occurred while living in the neko tribe would be beneficial for the future. The obstacles they encountered would be memorable ones, and life in the neko tribe, though tragic, was an experience they wouldn't take in vain… _

THE END


	17. Rinken Wrath Part One Homocide

Rinken's Wrath

**Rinken's Wrath**

It was late in the lab that night, and Victor hadn't gotten far with his research. All Rinken specimens had been destroyed in the fire, and that was what had him stumped. There was no way the Rinken would go that easily, and as Sgorr, the last member of Nobutaki's neko tribe had warned, it would be back. It simply didn't add up.

"Okay, so Rinken is this super-powerful man-made disease, no one is sure who the hell created it, and it dies from a few flames? That's unbelievable. And it was airborne, yet none of us were infected though we were exposed to it long before the fire was started. There are seven strains, but no one knows why the most deadly one never appeared, not to mention a whole civilization was wiped out without that one. Even with the virus being injected into the tribe members as quickly as it was, there's no way it could've killed them off in a week. What the hell is this supposed to mean?" contemplated Victor. He leaned back in his chair, staring up at the flickering fluorescent ceiling lights that cast white all through his laboratory. He sighed deeply. Nothing made sense anymore.

Ethan Thatcher, one of the new R&D members, suggested a plausible scenario to Victor. He always dreaded when Ethan came around; scrawny his body, short brown hair and big dorky glasses. His grin was almost too friendly, and his sarcasm seemed more like insults than jokes. He stood an inch shorter than Victor, and he was well equipped for the job, though only 24. Victor hated him, because _everyone_ loved Ethan. Jealousy wasn't his problem, Ethan's cocky attitude and his irritating charm was his problem.

"It could be that as a person is infected with Rinken, if they are again infected, the virus simply grows stronger. It may seem that way, anyway. It could also be that the patient becomes _weaker_ or that it just develops more rapidly once injected again and again into the body. Look at the Neko War, Niguel, those men died in hours from one little virus that multiplied and spread like hell. It makes perfect sense, if you think logically. With so many strains, and with this big master-mind, Skorne, the tribe hadn't a chance. They were being pulled underwater and didn't realize it 'til they drowned," he explained. So nosy was he that he was able to eavesdrop on all Victor's conversations and recall every word. He was definitely a trouble-maker, seeing as this was all strictly confidential. With Ethan's help, however, maybe they could crack the case and find Rinken's weakness.

"Why can humans contract Rinken? If human blood is so toxic, then why don't they die? What keeps them alive?" asked Victor.

"Think, Niguel. Do any strains die with human blood alone? No. They all need extra stuff in there, and heat in this case did the trick. They need a body to feed on, dead or alive, but what happens when the host's body no longer provides shelter and food? The virus cannot thrive. Look where it attacks, it attacks where the food supply is plentiful! If it's so advanced, maybe it feeds on nerves and blood, who knows?" answered Ethan.

"If you're so smart, you find a cure," growled Victor, thrusting his notepad into Ethan's chest and walking off.

"Hmm…" Ethan closely examined the notes, sitting down at Victor's desk and putting his feet up. He'd faced Rinken before, so he knew a little about it already. The information he knew from listening to Victor was confidential, but no one had to know he got the information from him. That's the way he saw it, and that's why he took the risk. If he found a cure, he couldn't possibly get into trouble!

"_Rinken"_

_Type: Man-made virus_

_Classification: Live virus, no further specification is applicable_

_Strains: 7 known_

_Cause: No cause, it is man-made, patient directly exposed_

_Contagious: Yes_

_Other: Rinken is named after the so-called creator, Jonas Rinken Smith. It can be contracted through the air, blood, basically anything of that nature. EXTREMELY DEADLY!_

_Cure: Unknown_

"Damn, this doesn't help me! I already know that, he has to have more information based on all that stuff he was talking about, I just need to find it in words!" growled Ethan. He knew this was just a cover-up so no one would find out what he was _really_ working on. "He's got to have more written down…" Ethan then began rummaging through Victor's notes, searching frantically for the information he desperately needed. He knew less information about Rinken than Victor, and he needed more if he would find the cure before him. It would surely land him a promotion and a chance at the head of Research and Development. Replacing Victor was his main concern.

"Aha!" he exclaimed triumphantly. He held in his thin hand a page describing each strain in detail, along with their said-cures. He scanned the paper greedily, absorbing the information into his mind like a thirsty sponge.

_**Kirani**__: Causes heart attack symptoms. Plants second strain, Reverbria, in host's heart before death._

_**Reverbria**__: Mostly harmless, screeches and vibrates within heart. Will release infectious bands that constrain heart if threatened._

_**Hinari**__: Plural of two strains that work together as duo. Hin is blue, severs arteries and veins. Ari is red, severs heart muscles and infects blood. Attacks heart and spreads to lungs if combines to become Hinari._

_**Jarklave**__: Extreme intolerance to human blood; cannot be contracted by humans. Attacks heart. Fang-like barbs and teeth, stabs heart every time it beats. Penetrates, severs, and kills if not treated._

_**Meningi**__: Causes symptoms similar to meningitis, often misdiagnosed. Located in brain, latches onto heartbeat and breathing control area._

_**Lacerian: **__Acid and toxic saliva burns through tissue. Uses sharp tail to create lacerations, fills lacerations with saliva and burns inside wound. Destroys entire organ if untreated. _

_**Derminica: M**__ost deadly strain. Creates tumors, lacerations, hemorrhaging, infects entire body, narrows passages of blood vessels, and controls body functions. Varies in size, can be small as nerve impulse or large enough to cause internal crowding, resulting in organ collapse. _

_**CURES: **__Heated liquids have been known to work accompanied by mercury. Kirani can be extracted after being attacked by laser. Reverbria can be separated from bands and extracted. Hinari can be attacked by laser, injected with mercury serum, and extracted. Jarklave needs a serum composed of the same type of blood as the victim's, (human blood), lead, and concentrated amounts of mercury. Lacerian and Derminica need all human blood types, frozen neko blood same type as victim's, concentrated amounts of carbon, and spinal fluid. NO CHEMICALS AFFECT RINKEN!_

"Amazing… He knows so much about it… More than I thought…" murmured Ethan, rereading the notes over and over. "Oh, I am so getting that job!" he declared, gathering the information.

Suddenly, the lights went out. There was labored breathing, followed by a deep-throated growl.

"Wh-who is it…?" asked Ethan, nearly wetting his pants. He fumbled across the wall for the light-switch. He found it, but when he flicked it on, the light did not return. A cable must've been cut, or perhaps the box had blown a fuse. He searched blindly in the darkness, jumping out of his skin as a pair of yellow, glowing eyes met his. "Who are—…?"

A blood-curdling shriek followed, accompanied by a menacing roar and the sound of something tearing and splattering liquid.

A long pause, then silence. Something staggered up the stairs, crashing through a window and escaping before anyone could witness its presence.

R&D members panicked, rushing around in the laboratory next door and trying to open the door. The power supply in the basement had been completely shut off, making the mechanical doors as well as the lights dysfunctional. Sidney came to their rescue, two security guards under his order. They immediately did as instructed, at last prying open the doors of the labs with sheer strength.

The members were all frightened and anxious, urging the director to check Victor's lab to see what had happened. He eased their fears and assured them an investigation was underway.

Another security guard, bloody footprints behind him, approached Director Kasal slowly, pain in his eyes. He spoke timidly, almost inaudibly: "Sir, we found a corpse in Niguel's lab. Ethan Thatcher, he's dead."


	18. The Return of the Nightmare

"_The Return of the Nightmare"_

Everyone was stunned by the murder that had taken place in Victor's lab the week prior. It was so unreal, and no one knew who the murderer was. No one had the faintest clue, not even Ethan, who had been the victim of the vicious homicide.

When led to the death site, Sidney set his eyes upon his horribly mauled and mangled researcher. Ethan's body was disfigured, broken, and sprawled disgustingly on the floor. Blood had splattered all over, his skin torn open to the bone. There were bite marks on his neck and flesh-wounds that indicated claw slashes.

"Neko attack?" queried Sidney.

"Most likely," grunted the security guard. He was baffled, more than anything, at what had happened. Caduceus was so heavily guarded; how could anyone have gotten in and murdered personnel? It was unheard of.

Victor was questioned first, asked if he'd seen Thatcher before his brutal death. He answered yes, and told them about the dispute they were having about the research. Detectives came all that week, Victor being questioned repetitively by them, the same questions popping up each time. It was getting old, and it was also getting harder to hide his research from the other R&D members now that his lab was off limits. He wanted to keep this between himself and the other six, not open it up to anyone else just yet, but it was proving to be difficult.

He was able to salvage the notes that had been partially torn in the tussle between the murderer and Thatcher, to his relief. The notes had been checked for fingerprints, but held none except Victor's and Thatcher's himself. No evidence could be found; the murderer seeing to it that their identity remained a secret by slyly eliminating any traces that could be linked. Even the security cameras held no use; the power had been cut, leaving it dysfunctional for almost 10 minutes. The perpetrator had clearly thought their plan through thoroughly.

"Victor, have you found anything yet?" asked Sidney, looking over his shoulder.

"No, Sir, I haven't. I'm worried we'll never find what really makes this virus tick…" he replied with a sigh.

"Have you created the serums yet?"

"Serums…? Oh! Yeah! I have, Sir. They're all here, exactly as Nobutaki said they were to be composed. I followed his directions precisely," Victor answered with a smirk.

"You even labeled them? Wow, you've gotten far in a week, especially with those detectives hot on your heels. I expect all the serums to be tested and flawless by the end of this month, Mr. Niguel. Am I clear?"

"Yes," he answered with a nod. "I just need your signature." He handed Sidney a pen and the forms for the serums and research. He quickly signed, handing them back to Victor and retreating to the stairs. It was nearly closing time now, and he'd be taking off for home soon.

-Caduceus Laboratory #2, 1:32AM-

Victor hadn't gotten far into reading about Rinken in more detail when he dozed off to sleep. He and a few emergency staff members were all that remained in the hospital at this hour.

Eyes moving rapidly beneath his tightly shut eyelids, Victor dreamed a most vivid and terrifying dream. It was the same nightmare he'd had since Marie's death…

"_Victor…" whispered the blood-covered neko girl, pale and lifeless. He returned to his research, ignoring her and wishing her away. His lab began spinning rapidly, whirling around like an out-of-control-marry-go-round. Once he gained his footing, he was back in Smith's laboratory, the night of Marie's murder._

"_Die!" Jonas screamed, plunging the scalpel into Marie's heart. Blood splattered, scarlet liquid, all across the ground. Victor tried to scream, but nothing came out but a dry exhale. _

_He would not rush upon her. Fear kept him on edge, gluing him to that spot in the doorway. Jonas laughed, reciting the same words he spoke with his last breaths, then proceeding to end himself in cold blood. _

_Marie, crying, would reach for Victor and call for him, pleading. _

_Eyes large with fright, Victor slowly approached, taking her hand in his as tears flooded down his face._

_The cemetery, then the lab again, in cycles continuously, flying past him so quickly he wanted to regurgitate. _

_He would always end up back there, the cemetery, holding flowers. Marie, transparent and un-living, would sit, waiting for him, murmuring those same words as she always did in the vivid nightmare. _

"_Why didn't you save me, Victor? Why…?" she would ask, crying with gray eyes full of pain and misery. He would try to comfort her, only to be stabbed himself by the very scalpel that had taken her life. _

"_HOW DO YOU LIKE IT?!" she roared, stabbing him over and over and over and over… and over… and…_

"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" Victor shot up from his doze, bolting away from his desk and dropping weakly to his knees. His knees always buckled after the nightmare, and it always left him breathing heavily and his heart hammering in his chest.

Nothing ever scared Victor Niguel, not that way. He would recover within minutes, but the stress the nightmare put him under was intensifying each night he had it. It was returning, that nightmare of his friend, haunting him more frequently. And every time, he would spring from where he slept and collapse, eyes wide with terror and whole body trembling violently. Sometimes, he would even mourn the remainder of the night, often sobbing a moment or two. Death was something he'd never coped with well, and murder was most difficult of all…

_Let me go Marie, you… you have to let me go…_

**A/N: Poor, poor Victor; looks like he's still having trouble sleeping at night. I don't know if he'd react that strongly to the nightmare, but I would imagine anyone would be pretty distraught and scared half to death after having one like that. Give me your opinion, I'm trying to portray the characters as they would probably react to the scenes I set them in, but it can be difficult for characters that don't show up very often in the game, you know? Well, thanks for reading! Chapter #3 is close behind, and I'll be pecking away at the key-board, as I always am. **


	19. FAQ And Preview

Welcome to the Trauma Center Neko Saga FAQ and Clarification section

Welcome to the Trauma Center Neko Saga FAQ and Clarification section! I have gotten reviews, and I know many of my other readers out there are asking the same questions, so, since I failed to explain fully in my fan fiction, I'd like to clear everything up here for you! This section includes questions from any reviews of the fan fictions I've written for the Trauma Center Neko Saga (TCNS), including A New Enemy, A New Ally, Life in the Neko Tribe, and Rinken's Wrath. Tris and others, thank you for the brilliant reviews! And I apologize! But, thanks for taking the time to read my stories, it is appreciated. Alright… Let's get this thing rolling!

**Q: Why don't the girls in the neko tribe like Angie and why don't the guys like Derek?**

A: As with many other animal species, nekos have certain laws and expectations, things like that, and they have "mating rights". Nekos may only have children etc. if they are married, and nekos marry whomever they wish, sometimes even marrying humans when outside the tribe. It's mostly instincts; they just know that if they have a woman/man more attractive than them, the male or female they want to be their spouse could be snatched up, so they naturally hate peers or tribe members of the same sex. In this case, many of the men were falling for Angie and many women were falling for Derek, resulting in the hatred towards them by the other members. Nekos are very strange creatures indeed!

**Q: Why is Victor having such a difficult time? Did he let go of Marie, or what's the deal with that?**

A: Victor is misunderstood. It's hard to get inside his mind. After meeting Marie, his first neko encounter, he has always been intrigued by them and wonders how it is they seem to read him so easily. The answer is that he doesn't want to let go of Marie in fear of losing all the memories he has of her, and worried that she would be ashamed in the after-life. He would still have an interest in nekos, whether Marie was ever part of his life or not, and he's just having conflicting emotions. He's not sure if it's him, or if it's her that is clinging on. Maybe it's deeper than that, but I suppose you'll have to read on to see what I throw in there. Keep this in mind, but further explanation may pop up, so watch out!

**Q: Why the hell mercury?**

A: Why mercury to kill Rinken? I didn't explain this, and I apologize, but I plan on describing it in further detail later on. You know that humans contain a lot of things in the blood. Many elements, you've heard all that. One thing nekos do not contain, for whatever reason, is mercury in their blood. Heated mercury especially kills off Rinken, because when they started out, they never had to deal with that since they were intended for neko sufferers. Jarklave is very intolerant of human blood in general, but the other Rinken have adapted to human blood and to the small amounts of elements in them. When exposed directly to the element mercury, it kills them. I always imagined the Rinken dying to a silvery liquid in my dreams and stuff, so I just randomly chose mercury. So, sorry I don't have a better reason. Mercury has just… always been my favorite element! All metallic and stuff…

**Q: Why do the Rinken die the way they do?**

A: Why is the sky blue? No, just kidding, but I was thinking more outside the box, like one of those things that would have Harvard scholars and professors pulling out their hair over. Like a mystery of life or something. Rinken is very… complicated. Jonas, being the evil genius that he is, composed it of certain things that causes reactions that essentially kill it, and he wanted this to be very difficult. Of course, he never anticipated mercury to be such a foe for his virus. I'd say you live, you learn, but… Jonas is dead. So he won't learn.

**Q: Okay, what is Jonas' deal? Why does he want to wipe out nekos if he is one?**

A: Jonas, Jonas, Jonas, you were a very hard character to deal with. When I created him, I made him so unreadable that in the end, even I, the author, couldn't get completely inside his mind. Now, this is either genius and creativity or stupidity. You choose. I imagined Jonas as a neko that just never wanted to be what he was, because he was always exposed to humans in his older years. I also saw him as a messed up little emotional kid, the one that wore black, stood at the back of the class and cut himself, and eventually, driven to madness, murdered his parents. How he got a wife, I'll never know, but he was working with Blackwell and that could be a huge reason right there for his insanity. Truthfully, I think he wanted to be a human. He hated his people, perhaps because they shunned him, and he wanted some revenge. Maybe he was just totally f-ed up in the head. You can decide.

**Q: Was Skorne just insane like Jonas? How many freaking family members does Jonas have?**

A: Skorne is indeed, insane. He hates humans, and as he explained, he wants to continue his brother's unfinished work and see to the destruction of his own people, which he completed, and the destruction of human life, period. Nobutaki never wanted anything to do with this, but he never kept into contact with Jonas' other family members, only the ones on his mother's side, because Nobutaki was Jonas' uncle's son, making him his cousin. Where's the uncle? Dead. Parents…? Also dead, Nobutaki was the final cousin and after his and Nobutanaki's death, the final members of Jonas' family. Skorne was sneaky; he was on Jonas' father's side, he's a half brother because his daddy had an affair like a butt munch. Commitment doesn't seem to work with Jonas' family very well. Anyway, that's why Nobutaki never knew Skorne was his brother. Much of the tribe was related to Jonas through small traces of blood or by marriage, but they had not always lived in the tribe, and were once living on an isolated island or something, all happy little nekos! But, after Rinken, I bet they just wanted peace so decided to leave and make the forest their home. Skorne could have gotten supplies to continue Rinken from anywhere, so that's how he worked under Nobutaki's nose that way, and eventually killed him and everyone else. No surprises, except to say that though not necessarily related by blood, there are still others out there that may have ties to Jonas and his research.

OKAY! I am very sorry for the inconvenience. As a writer, I am still learning and still trying to enhance and improve my skills of explanation, and I felt that an FAQ section just as this would be beneficial to anyone who wanted to know the full truth without having to disturb those who don't really care. I thought my fan fictions would be too long if I added all this, and that people may get bored with it, but perhaps I should not worry so much length wise and go all out! I don't know, I'm in the experimental stage at this time. My apologies; and thank you all who read the story and review! Special thanks to Tristan-the-Dreamer for reading and reviewing and giving helpful advice on all my work, it is very much appreciated and I am so glad that you are all enjoying my work so much! Thanks very much, everyone, and keep up your stories too! If you have any questions I should include in this, which will be updated when needed, please feel free to PM me or ask it in the review! I will try my best! And so I don't get in trouble with I have added a preview for the next chapter below.

"_Victor has been acting very strange lately. He does things he normally wouldn't do," explained Sidney. _

"_He's still sour about all the crap we've been dealing with the past year, he'll get over it," replied Cybil, taking a sip of her toffee nut latte. _

"_I worry about his mental state. He seems to be getting more and more distant, you know? I'm not so much worried, I guess, as I am curious. Is it still Marie, or is he hiding something?" he asked._

"_He's upset, that's for sure. He's also pissed about the nekos, not being able to spend much time with them on account of all that happened at the tribe, you know, the whole encounter with Jonas' crazy, obsessed brother," Cybil answered. _

"_Still… It's not like him to be so fidgety like that, he's always on edge. Should I extend the date for him to get those serums complete?"_

_A smirk crept across Cybil's face. "He'll be fine, Director. Give him time. He'll find a way to defeat Rinken, whether we help him or not. He's no idiot, he'll find the cure. I believe in his abilities to succeed. Just you wait; his name will go down in history." With that statement, Cybil Myers stood up and walked away, once again being paged to administer anesthesia to yet another patient. _


	20. The Truth of Rinken

Mercury; it was unknown why, of all things, mercury was the cause for many of the strains' deaths

Mercury; it was unknown why, of all things, mercury was the cause for many of the strains' deaths. Victor began with that. He was quickly able to solve the puzzle, because that day, a neko subject was brought into the laboratory for examination. He was infected with Rinken, a case of Hinari, and being only 6, he didn't know what was happening anyway. This made Victor's job easier.

"I'm going to take a little bit of blood, okay?" he explained the boy, whose name was Hakuro. Hakuro was an orphan, and since no human wanted him, he was sent to Caduceus for experimentation. Victor was kind and didn't use him as a mere lab rat, but saw him as a helper more than anything. The young boy had black hair that was short and his ears and tail were calico-colored. He was surprisingly relaxed, which differentiated him from other children.

"Why did you stick that hurt-thingy in my arm?" Hakuro asked. "And… why is it so bright in here? Why is this table so cold?"

"Slow down, I can only answer one question at a time," replied Victor. "The uh… 'hurt-thingy' is a needle, and I put it in your arm so I could take blood."

"Are you a _vampire_?" asked the neko, eyes wide with curiosity. Victor sighed, shaking his head.

"Now wait here, I'm going to take a look at the blood," Victor ordered, running a battery of tests on the vile. He checked the numbers of all the elements in the blood etc. and found that nekos had absolutely no mercury in their blood at all. That was it!

"Rinken doesn't know how to fight off mercury because it originally never dealt with it! That makes perfect sense! But… why?" Victor asked, his smile fading moments after it had spread across his face. "That's… different. Huh, I wonder why they don't have it in their blood. But, who cares! I know the reason! Victor, you are one smart researcher!"

"You sure act like a vampire," said Hakuro, still convinced and hoping Victor was an un-dead, blood sucking being rather than another normal human. He had a wild imagination.

"I'm not a vampire, I'm a researcher and that's it, got it?"

"Don't listen to him! He's lying! It's a trap!" shrieked Tyler.

"Hey, it's the funny guy that sings bad!" laughed Hakuro. Victor had discussed their visit at the tribe with Hakuro earlier to assure him he knew what he was doing.

"I sing well…" Tyler murmured. Thoughts of the hot spring came to mind. Victor shook his head, pointing his colleague towards the exit. "Aw, Victor, why can't I hang out down here?"

"Because you're an idiot! Now go, I don't have time for you and your stupid games!" growled Victor.

"_Fiiiiiiiiine_!" he whined, stomping up the stairs and acting like an immature brat. Tyler had to make his exit powerful and annoying. He succeeded.

Victor suddenly flinched, a chill running up his back. He searched for the cause, but didn't find anything that would have spooked him. _Strange…_ he thought.

Hakuro also seemed tense, and his eyes kept shifting to a book case in the corner of the room. He would occasionally nod, half to the book case and half to himself. Victor didn't notice anything peculiar about the book case and just figured Hakuro was going a little nuts, being infected with Rinken and all. Its symptoms weren't limited to the ones he listed in his research thesis.

"Uh, Hakuro, how is it going dealing with Rinken?" Victor asked. The boy's attention returned to him.

"I don't know what you're talking 'bout," he answered, tilting his head to the side.

"Oh… so he doesn't know what it is… Okay, how do you feel? Have you felt weird lately or anything?" he rephrased his question. He wasn't really good at dumbing things down for children.

"Well… sometimes it hurts here…" he answered, putting his hand on his chest. "And I hear weird things at night when I'm trying to sleep."

"Okay…" he jotted down the symptoms. It didn't appear that the Hinari was far along yet. "Anything el—

"Ow! You little bastard, why'd you bite me?!" he roared, nursing his torn-open hand. Hakuro was foaming at the mouth like a rabid dog, growling menacingly at him. "Oh damnit that hurts! Ugh…"

What Victor discovered next was horrifying. Inside the bleeding bite wound on his hand was a fresh batch of Rinken that had been administered through saliva. He acted quickly, throwing his hand under scorching hot water and listening to their screams as the heat destroyed them and washed them away. Victor sighed, leaning over the sink and panting. His hand was red from the heat of the boiling-hot water, and it was badly burned.

"Hakuro what the hell were you thinking--…?" Victor began, turning back towards the examination table, but discovering that the child was not there. "Hakuro…?"

In the corner of his eye, he saw a pale streak that rushed in, delivering a painful blow to his leg. Hakuro lunged for him, biting his leg and tearing through the flesh. He got onto Victor's torso and pinned him down; his strength was frightening. What had brought on the strange behavior was obvious; drugs.

"Auntie! Auntie, I've got him!" Hakuro screamed, waving to his aunt, the terrifying neko woman from before. She was Jonas' widow, and she was absolutely pissed. She emerged from the darkness of the lab, revealing her hiding place behind the book shelf. Her blouse was covered in dried blood. She was inevitably Thatcher's murderer.

"You helped that little bitch kill Jonas!" she roared in Victor's face. She knocked Hakuro away, grabbing Victor by the shirt and pinning him to the wall. "Who the hell do you think you are?!"

Victor's words caught in his throat, and no sooner had she pinned him was his air being cut off. She wrapped her bony fingers around his throat and squeezed tightly, staring into his dark, flickering eyes.

He struggled for air, gasping hopelessly. She mocked him, exaggerating each breath she drew.

"Ha… Humans take all the little things for granted… Like breathing, for example… Go on, it's easy," she challenged, inhaling and exhaling deeply. He was beginning to turn blue; he so desperately needed air.

Minutes passed, and she was still choking him, increasing the pressure with his every futile attempt to breathe. He thirsted for air, and this sensation of drowning was killing him. It was torturing him, and it was killing him. Where were the guards? Where was anybody?

Lungs now screaming for air, he battled against her savagely, trying to get her to release him from her grasp. Her strength was intense and she didn't look ready to ease up. He'd noticed high amounts of other foreign elements in Hakuro's blood, but he didn't think the kid was _really _taking steroids! The test did not lie; they were powerful on account of the drugs they were taking. That explained everything, and he had no chance now.

_Let go you monster… What the hell does she want with me?! Jonas killed himself! I didn't do anything! I need to breathe damnit, I'm really going to die here if she doesn't let go!!_

Victor closed his eyes, everything fading to darkness. He could hear his heart pounding, but nothing else.

He was unconscious moments later, and he could now hear the voices of the two nekos as they conversed back and forth. She had allowed him to live; why, he didn't know.

_What is going on…?_

…...

"_Were you able to retrieve all six?" a deep voice asked._

"_Yes, they're all here. The researcher was a pain in the ass, he wouldn't quit struggling," answered the neko woman, whom was called "Alana". _

"_Have you injected Derminica into Hakuro's blood stream yet?" the other asked. _

"_Asking me to kill my son __and__ my nephew is a bit extreme, don't you think?" _

"_Just do it. Remember, the reward will be well worth it. Sweet, sweet revenge."_

"_Yeah... revenge..." Alana answered. _

"Ugh... where am I...?" asked Victor, opening his eyes for the first time in two days. Bright white lights shone down on him, and he soon discovered he was strapped down to a chair. Looking around, he saw the other five, Sidney, Derek, Angie, Tyler, and Cybil, tied down as well. They all squirmed and fought at the ropes that bound them, but the fight was in vain. The ropes were tied tightly, making breathing quite the difficult task.

"Uncomfortable?" scoffed Alana. "Humph. Good." She proceeded to spit on the floor. She was a vile and cruel beast.

"You! I remember you, you're that lady that was infected with Rinken, the one we saw at Caduceus with Marie's half-brother!" shouted Angie.

"That's right!" agreed Sidney.

"What are you planning to do to us?" asked Cybil, narrowing her eyes at Alana.

"Oh, don't worry about your hides; I can't do anything to you. _He_ can, on the other hand. I'm just his assistant," she answered with a grunt.

There was a pause and then a familiar figure strutted in, his footsteps clicking every time his heels hit the tile floor. It was none other than Kenneth Blackwell.

"Dad!" exclaimed Angie, eyes widening as he approached. "W-what's going on?!"

"This hideous assistant of mine broke me out of prison, and in return, I must help her to avenge her husband's death. She's made a lot of sacrifices for me, and I had no choice but to repay her. I'm sorry, Ang, I really am, but an opportunity to finish Jonas' brilliant creation in place of GUILT... It was just an offer I had to snag," Blackwell stated.

"No! How could you?! I thought you had _changed_!" she shrieked, tears pouring down her face.

"Once a murderer, always a murderer, Angela..." he murmured. Laughing under his breath, he continued. "This woman's name is Alana; she'll be updating you on everything you need to know about Rinken."

"Listen up, because I'm only going to explain this once," she declared. She went on to describe everything about Rinken. These were the true answers, and she could answer any questions they had about the virus, because she herself was a hive for the parasites. She'd worked closely with Jonas, even agreeing to her own infection and that of their son. She was also manipulated by Blackwell to kill her son with Derminica, so they could witness the effects and perfect it so it could kill human subjects as well.

Rinken was created as Blackwell had described, using chemicals and blood, among other elements. It was true, because of its composition, it was immune to chemicals at this point in its advancement, and it did still have the weakness of mercury. Victor's hypothesis had been accurate, because Alana said it was true that nekos did not contain mercury in the blood and that is why Rinken suffered from it. She didn't explain why that was, but the serums would be effective knowing that mercury was indeed a weak point if used correctly.

It was Jonas who had been the sole creator, and many others merely branched off from him and made their own strains, though they did not succeed. However, mixing strains altered the effects, creating more devastating symptoms, including Alana's rotting skin and deformed mouth. She was infected with Meningi and a weaker form of Derminica, but she hadn't died, being half-human. This is how it went: nekos infected were the most vulnerable, half-human half-nekos had a 50-50 percent chance of contracting the virus if exposed directly, and at this time, humans were in as much danger as normal nekos, because now Rinken had a new director to help it along.

Yashuma had been incorrect in assuming because Sgorr was a half-human half-neko that he didn't contract it as easily, but it was really that they had a 50 percent chance of contracting it and a higher chance of _surviving_.

Now that everything was understood, the team would be forced to watch a most disturbing scene, and it was one that could possibly scar them forever.

A screen was brought down on the wall, and on it appeared Hakuro, in what seemed to be an incubator of some sort. He was looking around nervously, not quite sure what was happening.

"What are you going to do to him...?" Angie asked in a hushed voice.

"Watch," instructed Blackwell. Suddenly, a syringe was lowered into the incubator he was in by a machine. The six watched anxiously.

It continued to near him, becoming more frighteningly close as the seconds ticked away. He tried to shrink away, but the syringe didn't stop closing in. The needle made contact with his side, and that was enough to drive him off the edge.

"Ow, ow, ow! Auntie! Help! Help me, what's going on?! It hurts!" he shrieked, struggling to get loose from the straps that pinned him down. It was only a needle and the six weren't sure why they insisted on torturing him, but they soon began to realize that it was far worse. The syringe was taken away by the machine, and in that same instant the boy Hakuro was fighting for his life.

He was thrashing, tears flooding down his cheeks in small streams. He was being attacked from the inside; all 7 strains being injected into him at once.

"Dad, stop! Do something!" screamed Angie.

Hakuro used his final breath to scream at the top of his lungs in pain, and then he was gone. Everyone stared at the dead neko boy on the screen in utter shock.

"How...how could you do such a horrible thing...?" Angie asked, beginning to sob.

Blackwell stepped forward, putting his hand on Angie's cheek and brushing away the tears with his thumb.

"Oh, Angie... Your mother asked me that very same question long ago..." he said softly, caressing his daughter.

"You monster!" screamed Derek. "Why did you do that?! How can you live, knowing that you killed an innocent child!? He was six, and you killed him! No one deserves to suffer like that, what the hell is the matter with you?!"

"Derek..." Tyler murmured.

"I won't just sit here and do nothing while you take countless lives for no reason! It's wrong damnit!" he exclaimed.

"Why do you help people, Derek? They are going to die anyway, you can prevent illness but you cannot prevent death. Death seeks all, and all will die when their time comes. Why not now?" said Blackwell.

"Everyone deserves to live long, healthy lives! Knowing you helped someone is the best feeling in the world, I don't know how you get such a kick out of watching others suffer!" he retorted.

"Mankind and neko-kind alike have struggled ever since their creation and technology is only giving us more weapons to kill each other! We are only created to destroy, don't you see? I'm doing the world a favor by lowering the population!"

"You aren't helping anyone! You're killing innocent people and only causing more pain!" he shouted, his face flushing red in anger.

"Rinken is undefeatable, and it will destroy all life on the planet! I brought you here so you could get what you had coming for sticking your nose where it had no business being!"

"So what are you going to do?" Cybil spoke up. "Are you just going to kill us all? What will you accomplish by doing that? You idiot, we aren't the only ones who know about Rinken, everyone knows! The world knows because they're fighting it!"

Blackwell breathed deeply, shutting his eyes and recollecting his thoughts. He paced back and forth for several moments.

"Jonas was a good friend of mine. He helped me so much, and his death was very upsetting for me... I have to repay him by continuing his research! Being evil is the only path I know, and it's the easiest path because the hero never prevails against the unstoppable! Rinken will tear the world apart, and finally the Earth will have peace with the absence of the humans who destroyed it!" he said.

"People change, Blackwell! I saved your life; you still have to pay the debt you owe me!" Derek reminded.

"My debt to Jonas..." he started.

"Screw Jonas! That man was insane, he led you to believe he was helping the world when really, he didn't care! He just wanted to kill nekos for no reason, he just enjoyed watching others die and suffer! He didn't give a care what happened to the Earth, he was just sick!" Derek interrupted.

"Daddy... P-please... Please just let us go..." Angie pleaded between sobs.

"Delphi II is too far along to let go now!" he interjected.

"Rinken won't save your organization! Everyone will get infected, and then what?! Quit while you're ahead; end the damn spreading of this plague and let the medical experts salvage what's left! We can undo your mistake and get you help!" Sidney broke in.

"You don't have to finish his work! You can leave him behind! Leave all this behind, just let it go and let those of us that want to live get on with our lives!" yelled Derek.

Blackwell paused and let their words sink in, realizing that there was but one bind left tying him to Jonas' wicked virus. If that bind was cut, he would be free to let go and atone for his great mistake, by paying his time in prison and learning that helping people was better than killing them.

"Dad... You already caused enough pain with GUILT... aren't you poisoned enough with what you've done...?" Angie asked.

"I... I don't have to do this... I can... start over... the right way..." Blackwell said to himself. The bind was invisibly being severed, because he understood that what he was doing was unnecessary and that it wasn't too late to stop it. "I already had so much blood on these hands... and I've gone and stained them again... I was so wrong..."

Tears in his eyes, he untied the six and threw his arms around his daughter, rocking her back and forth and apologizing.

"Daddy..." she cried, hugging him tightly as tears flowed from her light-green eyes.

"You _traitor_!" screamed Alana, shaking her fist violently. "You promised they'd operate on me! All you humans lie! You'll pay you bastard! Y..." Her eyes wide, blood spewed from her mouth and she was gone. The impact with the tile as her body dropped dead onto it was loud and unpleasant. The Rinken had finally killed her.

An hour later, the police arrived and arrested Kenneth Blackwell again, this time for good. His time in prison wasn't known, but they assumed he'd die there for committing the crime he did.

Angie watched reluctantly as her father was taken away, and as the police car took off, she felt a tinge of sympathy for him. Nothing would change what he'd done, and he deserved this without a doubt. Still, as his daughter, she couldn't help but be upset as he was taken to prison again. All the memories of her childhood were rushing back, and it took all her willpower to keep from breaking down and bawling.

The development of the Rinken serums was going well; they were close to perfect at this time. As always, the Caduceus team was back to work and as busy as ever.

After all that had happened at Blackwell's lab, it was easy to see that everyone had changed. Sidney and Cybil felt victorious, Derek and Tyler felt more urged to help the Rinken victims, Angie was determined to help her father recover from his depression and Victor was acting very peculiarly.

Though his progress with the serums was rapid and took half the time Sidney expected, Victor wasn't himself. He was fidgety, always getting surprised, and he rarely spoke with anyone. The talking thing wasn't so different, but the other behavioral changes were.

Everyone was talking about it. All of Caduceus was curious as to why Victor was acting the way he was, even Sidney and Cybil. They once discussed it over lunch, but Cybil only reassured him everything was fine and that Victor would be back to himself in time.

_Time healed all things_... but Victor wasn't so sure.


	21. What's Wrong With Me?

A/N: Okay, I wanted to thank my reviewers for pointing some things out to me that I took into account but didn't really think too much of

**A/N: Okay, I wanted to thank my reviewers for pointing some things out to me that I took into account but didn't really think too much of! First of all, my dialogues can be quite long, and I apologize because it's a habit I am trying to break. Second, Victor has strayed off into an OOC, which I did not intend on happening, but I will make it work by using my previous foreshadowing techniques to fit it in with everything else. I still have my weaknesses, and I know I'm nothing close to perfect, but I have improved every chapter in my opinion. I'm sorry if it's getting confusing, but I will try to tie up everything at the end. I have a habit of stating then explaining, which I am trying to combat. Thanks for your helpful reviews, and please let me know where I need improvement and where I have done well etc. Also, if you have any questions, I will do my best to explain it. Alright, thanks everyone! Let's see if there's still hope for this fan fiction!**

Victor came in one morning, but something was different. He wasn't presentable, his shirt on backwards and his hair wild and all over the place. His eyes were blood-shot and he had a slight hunch. It was very... strange. He sulked around the reception area three times, according to the receptionist at the desk.

"Who is that?" asked one of the new in-turns, noticing Victor circling the reception area over and over.

"I think that's Niguel," answered the receptionist, leaning in towards the in-turn.

"Victor Niguel? That crabby researcher? But isn't he always on time and always sharp on his appearance?" she asked.

"Yeah, he normally is. He's been acting very weird lately, even the director is concerned," she stated.

"I'm sorry... where is my... lab?" Victor asked the receptionist, not averting his gaze from the ceiling.

"Sir, are you hung-over? High?" she questioned rudely.

"N-no, no I'm sober... I don't... do that... stuff," he replied.

"Look at yourself, you call that presentable? You must be drunk or something, you're still half undressed!"

Victor glanced down at his legs, realizing the receptionist was correct and that he was indeed, still wearing his at-home pants. He was too "manly" to admit they were pajamas. He then rushed to the bathroom, examining his clothing more closely. He noticed his shirt was on backwards and quickly adjusted it. He tried to tame his wild hair, but without success. There was no hiding his blood-shot eyes either. _This has never happened to me... Am I losing it?_

He turned on the faucet and put his hands under, and then he turned it off. He repeated this many times, grinding his teeth together as he failed to accomplish the simple task of washing his hands.

"Turn... on!" he screamed, trying to keep his left hand from turning the faucet off again.

_Easy..._ he told himself, taking a deep breath. _You can do this, it's simple Niguel! _He turned on the faucet with his right hand, daring his left hand to turn it off. When it did, he slammed his hand against the mirror, breaking the mirror and injuring his hand.

"Damnit! Ahhh...!" he roared, staring at his blood covered hand grimly. He had several glass shards in it, but being so scrawny and muscle-less, there was no way he could have broken or even put a scratch on the mirror with his bare hand!

He tried to pull out the shards, but found that it was his right hand's turn to aggravate him. When he hesitantly reached for one of the shards of glass, his hand did the opposite of what he had intended on doing. Instead of grasping the shard and gently removing it, his hand grasped it and shoved it in deeper.

"Why, why, why?!" Victor slammed his head against the wall several times, a large bruise resulting. He cursed every word in his cuss-word vocabulary, face red and veins poking out over his temples.

He slammed his head against the wall another time. Then again. He didn't stop until he was dizzy and his head ached horribly. Tears of frustration stung his eyes.

"Victor...?" asked Derek meekly. Victor looked up at him, turning away as his vision blurred with more tears. He dropped to the ground and curled up beside a bathroom stall, hugging his knees to his chest. "Victor, what's going on...?"

"I-I don't know... I don't know..." he replied in a choked voice, burying his face in his hands. Derek approached him cautiously, highly expecting Victor to leap up and attack at any given moment. When he didn't make a move, Derek inched closer to him.

"Leave me alone!" exclaimed Victor, lashing out at him.

"Something's wrong with you, let me help..." Derek said softly, reproaching him.

Victor was trembling violently, glaring at Derek as he came nearer. He felt like a trapped and injured animal, but no instincts were there to aid him in decision-making. In blind rage, he lunged for the young surgeon, knocking him clear over and sprinting away.

Tyler was in the wrong place at the wrong time, and as Victor came charging, he took the blow and the fall. He shook his head, blinking and not exactly sure what had happened.

"Imbecile!" Victor sneered, shoving Tyler away.

"Uh... I'm sorry, Dude, I didn't mean to get in your--..."

"Shut up! Leave me alone and don't come near me EVER!" he yelled at the top of his lungs, staggering to his feet and storming off. Everyone on the floor stopped what they were doing and watched him leave, looks of astonishment slapped on their faces.

Running at top speed, he took down an un-expecting Sidney next, his glasses flying across the floor.

"Niguel, what the--?!"

"Watch where you're going, you bastard!" Victor screamed.

Sidney's face showed no expression. He was speechless.

Victor snorted and walked passed him, stepping on his glasses in the process.

Sidney watched through squinted eyes as his top researcher stomped away, completely stunned. The way Victor had behaved was unbelievable...


	22. A Helping Hand

Victor Niguel, storming through the hospital, had gone insane

Victor Niguel, storming through the hospital, had gone insane. No one dared to get in his way, and because of his abnormal behavior, everyone came to believe he was hopelessly drunk.

Suddenly, a look of shock stole upon his face, disbelief consuming him.

"M-Marie...?" he stammered, staring wide-eyed at a black-haired, gray-eared neko. His ability to judge reality from fantasy was skewed; he truly believed he was staring at his late friend. Involuntarily, he hugged the neko and sobbed, apologizing.

The 15-year-old neko girl, Mia, was very similar to Marie, both being the same age and similar in height, weight, and body structure. Her hair length and style was almost exactly the same, but her eyes, however, weren't emerald green; they were deep blue, as vast as the ocean. Her ears and tail, too, differentiated her from Marie because Marie's were black, while Mia's were gray with black streaks.

"Um... I'm just waiting for the doctor..." Mia muttered.

"You're here..." Victor said in a low voice, his eyes boring into hers. He then realized this wasn't Marie; these eyes weren't green. "Who are you...?" He pulled away, glaring at her.

"I-I'm Mia... I'm just here to discuss my operation..." she answered meekly. "Look, are you okay?"

"What makes you think I'm okay?!" he exploded, dropping to his knees and sobbing once more. "Why are you doing this to me, Marie...?"

Mia trembled. This was _supposed_ to be a quick trip to the hospital, but it was instead a scary encounter with a psychotic staff member.

"If you're not Marie," he started, "then why do you look like her...?" Mia shook her head, pitying the confused researcher.

"I don't know who Marie is... or why I look like her... but I'm sorry if my appearance upset you..." was her response.

"Please... help me..." he pleaded. It was clear to her what was wrong. She knew it the moment she heard the horrid cry from within him...

She got up off the examination table and sat down beside him, taking his trembling hand and gently removing the shards from the mirror he'd broken in the men's room. She comforted him and reassured him everything would be okay.

"I will help you," Mia stated, rubbing his hand. "First, we should have the Derminica removed."

**A/N: Just for anyone who has a sick mind, (you know who you are) Mia does not love Victor in any way, shape, or form! If she ever did, it would be in a brotherly way, but nothing else. Nekos aren't afraid to express their feelings towards others, so she jumped at the opportunity to help Victor, who is a little nuts at the moment. Poor, poor Victor! We love you, somebody'll save ya! I also apologize for the length. **


	23. The Healing Touch

Angie pulled up into the drive-way of the prison, tightly gripping the steering wheel as she braced herself for another encounter with Kenneth Blackwell

Angie pulled up into the drive-way of the prison, tightly gripping the steering wheel as she braced herself for another encounter with Kenneth Blackwell. This personal chat was vital; she needed to milk him of all the information he had on Jonas Smith, as well as his virus.

She stared grimly at the sign of the prison as it came into view, paint rubbing off of the already old sign. It appeared to say "Lo Angel" Prison rather than "Los Angeles", because the black letters had partially rubbed off over the years.

She entered the prison for the second time, more unforgiving than before. Her stupid, stupid father... How could he live with himself?

"Angie Thompson," she stated at the front desk. "I have an appointment with Kenneth Blackwell."

It was the same man that had been on the phone with her months ago and he was still smoking away at his cigars. In a raspy voice, he spoke into a walkie-talkie and freed a conference room for her, then leading her to the room where this time, Blackwell was surrounded not by half a dozen guards, but a total of 11. They were determined to keep the bastard behind bars this time.

Blackwell let out a surprised gasp when he saw his daughter enter. He hadn't expected her, but rather another news reporter or journalist to question and bother him. When he saw Angie sit down, he couldn't help but smile. He would get to hear his daughter's voice again.

He remained silent, allowing her to speak first.

"Dad, tell me everything. All about Smith, all about nekos, everything," she demanded sternly.

"It's just as well you knew... I will tell you, as payment for what I've done," he answered. She shook her head, making it clear he could not be forgiven. His heart sank, but on he spoke.

"Jonas was shunned by the other nekos as a child. His parents expected greatness of him, and he did poorly in school because he was ridiculed for being intelligent," he began.

"One day, when he was an adolescent of 16, he made a vow to destroy his kind for what they'd done to him. He began making plans, and as a Harvard student, the first neko to ever make entrance, he created a new language and blueprints for 'Rinken'.

"He graduated, and still his parents weren't pleased. He was 18 and had already graduated from _Harvard_, and they were still unimpressed! That is what pressured him to do what he did; he killed them in their sleep," he explained.

"He got married years later, that's when he was working with me on the plans for Delphi and helping me with GUILT. That's also when he created his virus. He still had family here and there, but many died in war. His eldest brother, he had three, was the one who raised his offspring, Marie, to hate humans.

"Things went from there; she fought the teachings she was fed, and in the end killed him. His insanity drove him to suicide, and her haunting drove him to homicide. That is why he murdered her, and that is why he killed all those nekos and himself..." Blackwell explained.

"I understand!" Angie declared.

"I... don't know very much about Rinken. All I know is that Jonas created it using what I told you before. He made it so it could kill off his species, and he's nearly succeeded. You know more about it than I," he said.

"Tell me about nekos," Angie urged.

"Nekos... Intelligent beings they are. The youngest neko veterinarian was actually 12. She was able to train and get in all the requirements to be a vet because her IQ was sky-rocketing over others of her breed."

"Wow, that's amazing," she agreed.

"It is. You know what they're capable of; they're both smart and physically powerful. Emotionally, they are unstable. You know that too, being exposed to them. I don't know what else I can tell you," he frowned.

"Okay... then tell me this: if you were afraid of your secret slipping out about Rinken, though Dr. Myers explained to you that everyone already knew about it, why did you kill Thatcher and not Victor?" Angie asked.

Blackwell scratched his chin. "Alana wanted 'fresh blood' as she described it. Ethan Thatcher knew dangerous information, so she thought she'd kill him both to get him out of the way and to frighten you all. She succeeded in both, but her plan wasn't as flawless as she'd hoped. She stupidly left the notes behind," he explained.

"Ah, I see," Angie nodded. "Dad, are you the one responsible for infecting Victor with Rinken...?" She was tense and shaking.

Blackwell hesitated, taking a deep breath and thinking things through. "I am afraid I am guilty. Your accusation was spot on... I infected Niguel because I needed to see how Derminica would react in a human, and I figured he'd be missed by none..."

"This is why I hate you..." Angie growled, standing up and storming out of the room. Blackwell leaned back in his chair, sighing heavily and closing his eyes, wishing he could undo what he had done.

"I-it moves so fast!" shrieked Derek, chasing Derminica hopelessly with the laser, trying to stun it. He'd begun operating on Victor earlier that afternoon, after Mia had explained his condition. Her operation for a heart transplant could wait; Victor's life was on the line as Derminica ruthlessly attacked.

Because Angie was not present, Mia was assisting Dr. Stiles in the operation. She was well-experienced and she was always up for a challenge. This hadn't been her first operation, either. She was an A-student at USNU, the United States Neko University, where nekos could enter to pursue any career they desired, as long as they were up for the rigorous expectations the school forced upon them.

Mia was training to be a surgeon, and she was already well-skilled. It was amazing that a 15-year-old could already be in her 4th year of medical school, but she was truly a genius, after all. She worked alongside doctors all her life, diagnosing her own illnesses and also watching helplessly as her parents -- who were also doctors -- bled away from Rinken when she was only 10 years old.

After their tragic passing, she dedicated her life to helping people, human and neko alike. In the following years she became a Rinken specialist, and she was a great help to any doctor anywhere that needed an expert on the virus. If anyone knew the virus as well as its own creator, it was Mia.

Jonas hadn't known of Mia, because she was disguised as a senior surgeon at Neko Memorial, a hospital morally for ill nekos, neko soldiers, and Rinken victims. In Neko Memorial, Mia was "Nicole Mannford", a 62-year-old neko surgeon. Had the nekos paid closer attention, they would have realized this was impossible. The oldest neko was 50; the first neko to be created. He was also the oldest, for nekos didn't live long. Luckily, no one ever questioned the director of Neko Memorial about Mia's alias. Humans didn't seem to notice either, for they didn't know much about nekos. Her patients didn't at least, though they did know she was young. She was only Nicole Mannford in the record books, but Mia to everyone else who knew her personally. She would have to remain a secret until the world was truly ready for her.

She was doing so well in school that they temporarily graduated her to specialist so she could perform operations on people, as long as she was accompanied by an adult. She'd successfully performed a total of 37 surgeries in 2 months. It was a new record, and she was still at it. (A record for nekos anyway)

Most believed this to be impossible, and on rare occasions did someone, human or neko, agree to go under the knife with a surgeon as young as herself. She was licensed and her success rate was high, but they still felt it was too much a risk. Only when the operation was over and they awoke did they realize they'd been in good hands all along. Nekos were certainly intelligent. Mia was no exception; her IQ was the highest in all of USNU, which was nothing to sneeze at.

Derek was struggling with the Derminica as it continued to wreck havoc on Victor's body. It had latched onto his spinal cord, sending impulses and incorrect messages to cause such a drastic behavioral change in him. Derminica normally did not act this way, but the stage it was at resulted in its own abnormal behavior. It clung onto his spine, all relaxed and happy as it ruined his life, and only when threatened by Derek did it show signs of truly being Derminica: the worst strain of Rinken.

"Here, let's stabilize those vitals," mumbled Mia half to herself, injecting the stabilizer into Victor's side. The vitals rose, dancing on the monitor.

"Thanks," murmured Derek, glaring at the virus, who almost seemed to mock him as it let him get closer and closer. Each time he came in to laser it, it would swim up shyly, then dodge and escape before it was hit. It was annoying, and it was also a danger to Victor because every time Derek failed to hit the Rinken, the laser burned into his internal organs, barely missing his spine. Whenever this occurred Mia always encouraged Derek and asked him politely to be more careful. She didn't want to make him nervous, but there was no room for mistakes.

Sweat poured down Derek's forehead; he was not a spinal surgeon. He wasn't exactly fit for this operation, but he was the only one who could do it. Luckily, with Mia by his side, Victor's chances looked high.

"Don't be nervous; you can do this," Mia encouraged.

Suddenly, the Derminica was through with taunting the surgeon and decided enough was enough. With one rapid movement, lacerations appeared in a flash and the vitals started decreasing by the seconds. Tumors appeared everywhere, and Derminica began to grow. Something burst, and nerves began spilling out of Victor.

Derek didn't even have time to perform his "Healing Touch". The Derminica let out an ear-piercing scream and he was out like a light. He collapsed, several medical instruments following with an unpleasant crash. The scream had knocked him out unconscious.

Victor was in extreme danger; tumors, lacerations, everything was coming too fast. With nerves spilling out too hastily to count, Mia had no choice.

_Deep breath... Inhale... Exhale... Focus... Focus!_

Mia possessed the Healing Touch as well. Her intense focus gave her the drive to learn and perfect such a useful and helpful surgical technique, and she was improving every day. She'd never used it on a live patient before, only on manikins, but she knew if the researcher would live she had to try. Try she did, and she succeeded, but she was quickly being drained of energy as she manipulated the energy around her.

Derek's ability slowed time, but hers completely stopped it. It also put everything else around her in suspended animation, almost like slow motion. This was a most difficult yet amazing technique.

She sutured the lacerations, excised and used the laser to get rid of the tumors, and she stopped the nerves from spilling and put them back into place, suturing where they'd exited from due to the Rinken.

Derminica was dramatically slowed; it moved sluggishly, not aware that it was not as quick as a lightning bolt any longer. It was so slow it couldn't even create any more damage, and before it could attempt, Mia had killed it. Using the laser, she stunned it. She stabbed it with the scalpel. She injected it with the serum. It cried its horrid death cry (which had also been slowed unfortunately for Mia). She extracted it, and it was over.

_Stay awake... Finish operation... Must... stay awake... just a little...longer..._

Mia disinfected the area, patched up any excess damage caused by the virus, then sutured the incision and completed Victor Niguel's life-saving operation.

"Operation... successful..." Mia whispered, collapsing onto the green tile of the O.R., unconscious.


	24. Rinken Takes Another

Derek awoke to the birds chirping happily outside and to the sound of the nurses on staff as their heels clicked on the tile with every step, rushing through the hospital

Derek awoke to the birds chirping happily outside and to the sound of the nurses on staff as their heels clicked on the tile with every step, rushing through the hospital. He stared at the ceiling a moment; he'd forgotten all about the surgery, and when he'd fainted.

"Victor!" he yelled suddenly as it all rushed back to him. He shot up, being forced back down gently by Stephen Clarks, the senior surgeon of Caduceus.

"Easy, he's just fine," Dr. Clarks stated calmly. "You took one nasty fall. You're lucky your scalpel didn't pierce your heart; when it fell, it got your lung. Mia was too panicked to notice, but help arrived just in time."

Derek snatched up his glasses and examined his bandaged chest, wincing in pain as he touched the covered wound.

"Don't, you'll injure yourself. It was only an inch deep, I took care of it," Clarks said.

"But Victor... what happened? I passed out in the middle of the operation when the Rinken screamed..." muttered Derek.

"Mia saved him. Or should I say, Nicole Mannford. She was in disguise at Neko Memorial, but she came here for a heart transplant. She is... a Rinken victim," he explained; as he went on to tell Derek everything about the neko girl.

Sidney had gotten a hold of her records, as a citizen of the US, a lab experiment, and as a surgeon.

He also explained how nekos were susceptible to Rinken screams because they were merely a high-frequency dialect in Smith's language. Though they had sensitive ears, Mia had trained herself so that when the Rinken summoned its grotesque cry she could withstand it.

"We also discovered that she can wield the surgical technique the 'Healing Touch'. We saw her use it on the tape; she is not very good. She manipulates _too _much energy, and just to use it she faints. She could learn a lot from you," Clarks said.

"So she can use it too..." mumbled Derek. He was upset that he'd let everyone down and that Victor's life was left in Mia's hands. Had she not been a surgeon, and a neko, Victor would not be here. He was fortunate she had been there, but was cross that the operation had fallen into the teen's hands. There were so many complications that could have occurred!

"Victor was bound to survive. You are a well-skilled surgeon, one of our best and with Mia as your assistant there was no way Victor would die. We all trusted in you, and you pulled through. Just warn Mia about her ability, would you? You understand its power," said the senior surgeon. Derek nodded, eyes glistening. Finally; someone he could relate to! And better, someone who was less skilled than himself. It would be a nice change for Stiles.

OooooooO

Angie's car had been totaled in the wreck. She moaned in agony, but it was emotional agony. She escaped the wreckage without a scratch; she was upset about her car. The man apologized constantly, but she wouldn't accept it. It was his entire fault; he hadn't been watching where he was going. Her car could be replaced, of course, but that didn't help her now. She had no cell-phone reception and she still needed to get back to Caduceus.

To kill the time, she decided to stroll around and search for a pay-phone, or perhaps an area where reception thrived. She looked without success. There was nothing in this small city.

A neko man stood on the side of the road beside an alley-way, smoking a cigarette. He wore a fine leather jacket, though nothing else resembled he was wealthy. His jeans were ripped, his hair was jagged and uneven, his rust-colored ears weren't groomed and his white T-shirt was covered in stains and ashes.

Angie noticed he was staring, and immediately became tense. She tried to act natural, like she hadn't seen him, but it was too late. One their eyes locked, she was trapped.

The neko man casually walked up to her, flicking his cigarette on the way. She stood frozen stiff on the side-walk.

When he greeted her, she noticed he was unshaven and that he had blood-shot eyes. He was a good 6'5'', and she assumed he was in his 20's. 22 was her guess.

"Hi..." she replied meekly.

"What's the matter, Doll, you lost?" he asked bluntly, taking a drag on his cigarette.

"No, that's okay..." she answered, beginning to walk away.

"Don't be so shy, I won't hurt'cha." He grabbed her arm forcefully and pulled her to face him. He blew smoke rings in her face.

"Let go!" she shouted, struggling against his strength.

"Shhh..." he whispered, pulling her into the alley. He pinned her to the wall, firmly grasping her shoulders. His kind and friendly demeanor had disappeared; he was now frantic and seemed afraid.

"Let me--!"

He covered her mouth, glancing around nervously. She fought back at him, using all her might in an attempt to free herself.

"I'm not going to hurt you!" he yelled, shaking her roughly. "Listen, I need your help! I know that you came from that fancy hospital; it's obvious by what you're wearing. I'm infected, man, with that stupid virus! You gotta help me, 21 years ain't long enough!"

"Um..." she pondered, not sure what she could do. It was apparent he'd been infected for a while.

"Please you gotta--!" he coughed up a profuse amount of blood, releasing her and backing into the opposite wall, sliding down it and landing on his rear. He panted, eyes glazing over as blood seeped down the sides of his mouth.

"Ah!" Angie shrieked.

The stranger's ears drooped limply. He coughed a few more times, reaching for his cigarettes. He lit one and stuck it in his mouth, taking one good drag; his last.

"S-sir...?" Angie murmured, approaching him slowly.

His gray eyes pled for mercy from this excruciating pain, but the will to live was not there. If he did not strive for life, he did not get life. And so, he perished there in the alley before Angie could breathe another word.

OooooooO

"It was awful..." she whispered, sobbing in Tyler's shoulder. When the paramedics arrived, too late, they had taken the neko's body as well as Angie. They dropped her off at Caduceus, and there she explained everything to the director and to her colleagues.

"You've had quite the day..." said Tyler in a low, soothing voice.

"W-what could I have done...?" she asked.

"Nothing, Angie, he was too far gone," Derek told her. "We have to put an end to Rinken, once and for all. Then this will never happen again."

Everyone concurred, and with Mia, they had a new ally to aid them in their race for the cure of the virus known as Rinken.


	25. I Don't Need Your Help

Victor was annoyed

Victor was annoyed. Here he was, confined to bed, when everyone else was being useful and curing all the Rinken patients. He hated feeling useless. Good old Victor was back to himself.

After being put through an hour of sitting contently and listening to everything Angie heard from her dad, the incident that had occurred in the alley, how Mia saved him with the Healing Touch and all about her background, he'd heard enough. He was a talker, not a listener. He grew very impatient as Dr. Clarks and Dr. Myers talked on, and on, and on, and on...

"Okay, I get it, she's an annoying brat that's a genius, big deal," Victor scowled.

"She saved your life, you should be thankful!" argued Cybil.

"I had Derminica... It pisses me off that I didn't notice sooner! Damnit, I'm smarter than that!" he shouted.

"We all know you're smart Victor; you don't have to prove anything to us. We just wanted you to know that Mia saved you, that's all. She was so worried she left something inside you when she closed you up, we couldn't get her to shut up until we showed her an X-ray and your charts!" she replied.

"Well if she's so 'smart', why didn't she figure out hmm? Because she's a stupid neko, that's why!"

"I thought you were interested in nekos, Victor," Dr. Clarks said, frowning.

"Well, I'm not. They've caused me nothing but trouble. I'm better at working with human patients, nekos are too bothersome," Victor lied. He was truly intrigued by them, but the Derminica had only aggravated his already sour attitude. Most of all, he wanted out of bed. Bed-rest was his worst enemy.

"Your inability to express your feelings in a positive way astounds me. I would think the smartest researcher, the head of the R&D section of Caduceus, would be more impressive," scoffed a neko man dressed in a suit as he entered the room. He was Mia's cousin by marriage.

Lusaka was a well-respected Rinken researcher, a figure many nekos looked up to. Humans admired him, but didn't truly enjoy his presence. He was social, but he was rude and his crude remarks and insults made him unpopular. He was very similar to Victor; he did all the talking, and he was annoyed by anyone less intelligent than himself. He was Victor in neko form!

Lusaka wore glasses with fine black rims, which he chose to accent his ice-colored eyes. He was 29, 3 years older than Victor, but not near as smart. He only specialized in Rinken, and though he was cocky and confident, he couldn't tell you the answer to any multiplication question thrown his way. He passed college, at Yale, with the lowest grades of everyone else, though he studied his butt off. It didn't matter, because the fact was that he was able to help Caduceus by conducting his own research.

Victor looked him up and down, taking mental inventory of what he saw. Lusaka was scrawny, even more so than Victor. He had short brown hair and calico-colored ears.

"Take a picture, it'll last longer," said Lusaka in a bored tone, picking at his fingernails. Cybil and Stephen immediately thought of Victor when they met Lusaka for the first time, but Victor hardly thought anything of this cocky neko man. He was nothing but more trouble.

"What does this look like, a circus? Go back to where you came from, R&D will be fine once I'm back in office," Victor scoffed.

"I'm only here to help," Lusaka replied firmly.

"Go take your help and shove it up your--"

"Victor!" screamed Cybil and Stephen in unison.

"I don't need your help..." mumbled Victor. "I don't need _anyone's_ help..."

Lusaka cocked his head to the side. He caught a glimpse of the notes Victor was reviewing.

He snatched up the notes, flipping through them and chuckling as Victor growled for him to give them back.

"Hmm..." Lusaka scanned the notes intently, his eyes calm and focused. "It appears I was wrong."

"Pardon?" interrupted Clarks.

"I thought all along it was _lead_ that killed the Rinken, not_ mercury_..." he murmured. "My calcium chlorine remedy wasn't helping either... That explains why my patients were dying..."

"Human patients?" asked Victor. Lusaka nodded slowly.

"Idiot, calcium chlorine is a powerful acid, it's toxic to humans. If we get even a little on our hands, our skin is extremely irritated. Getting something like that on an internal organ is fatal; of course your patients were dying if that's what you used!"

"My assistant, Dr. Kvetch, wasn't very good... He was old, his hands were worn and they shook quite a bit... He always had trouble with the fast-moving Rinken, so he often nicked the patient's innards 6-10 times an operation..." Lusaka grumbled.

"Well, there's your explanation."

Lusaka silently accepted defeat, realizing Victor was right and he was wrong. He may be a specialist, but he had little experience with the actual virus. He only accompanied the operations, but he never got to do much research on the virus; human researchers instead took on this daunting task.

"Teach me," Lusaka said, thrusting the booklet on Rinken into Victor's chest. "Teach me everything, genius human."

OooooooO

Months passed. A new season had come; summer. Victor hated the humid weather and the sweat-shop he called a laboratory.

He worked day and night, never resting, and though he did not depend on anyone, everyone offered aid. He sometimes accepted, though he didn't know it, and everything was running smoothly.

Lusaka, instead of being the one taking Victor under his wing, wedged himself under Victor's. He learned fast, often asking his new mentor if he would review his findings and prescribe a treatment that would fit. More often than not they were discovering victims were infected with more than one strain, though it made the task of deciphering how strains worked together easier.

Mia had been treated of her Rinken, Lacerian, which had nearly taken her life. Her heart transplant was completely successful, performed by Dr. Stiles, but she had frightening symptoms now and again. (The heart transplant had to be performed due to the virus that had eaten away at it)

Mia, in Marie's footsteps, grew attached to both Victor and Derek. Victor seemed less interested in another brotherly relationship with a neko, but Derek was open and understanding. He taught her how to control her Healing Touch, and he gave her helpful advice so she could strengthen her medical skills.

Sidney grew accustomed to having Mia on staff at his hospital, and she seemed to be accepted by patient and staff-member alike.

Even Angie, who hadn't been fond of Marie, grew tolerant of Mia. Because Mia was shy and didn't often fight back, everyone just let her be and she did whatever she was told.

Unlike Lusaka, who thought he was perfect, Mia knew she wasn't. Though her success rate was _high_, that didn't mean she was constantly successful. She'd failed a total of 9 operations in her life-time.

Her issue was that she was not a fast-thinker. She paused occasionally, thinking things through, and in the cases where she lost the patient, the same thing had occurred.

She was discouraged by her losses, and she agreed that nothing was worse than having to tell a family their loved one was gone. She knew, because she'd been there, and she'd been told that too. Derek and she were very similar in that respect; their parents had been that terrifying word: _untreatable..._

"_Mom, Dad!" Mia screamed, bawling. _

"_I'm sorry, young lady, but they're gone! We did everything we could!" shouted the doctor, grabbing her by the shoulders. _

"_How will I live without them?!" she cried. _

"_Mia!" roared Lusaka, smacking her across the face. "Shut up! You're going to be just fine! They may be gone, but you aren't yet!" He hugged her tightly, crying along with her. "I'm going to take care of you, Mia... I won't let anything happen to you..."_

"_L-Lusaka..." she whispered, crying in his shirt. _

"_We'll find what killed them together... I promise..."_

That moment flashed back to her every time she performed an operation. Whether the vitals were high or low, that memory kept her on edge. She had no room for error, no space for mistake. If she screwed up, she would have to tell the family she'd failed. That is why she was determined to try, and that is why she never gave up, no matter how intimidating the task.

"Earth to Freak, are you in?" asked an irritated Victor.

"Yeah..." Mia answered glumly.

Victor's eyes softened. Mia's aura was almost undetectable, just as the nekos' aura had been in Nobutaki's neko tribe, but he still felt compelled to be kind and compassionate when around her. Mia was slowly growing on him as Marie had so long ago.

"What's eating at you?" he asked quietly, not wanting to alert anyone else that could possibly be listening that he was even slightly concerned.

"Just... it's so hard you know? To tell someone their dad or uncle or sister or friend is... incurable," she answered.

"I wouldn't know. But I've seen Stiles do it; it doesn't look easy. You get over it, people die. It's the flow of life," Victor stated, leaning back in his chair.

"Then why do you cling to Marie...?" Mia asked, prodding deeper into Victor's very soul.

"Excuse me?" he asked gruffly.

"Marie... why is it you can't let her go? If you just 'get over it', shouldn't it be easy?"

"Shut up. You don't understand," Victor growled, turning back to his research.

Mia sighed. She'd been trying for two months to get him to cough it up, but the stubborn researcher wouldn't budge. He kept to himself. No one knew about Victor Niguel except Victor Niguel.

"She was a really good friend, wasn't she?"

Victor paused. He turned to her, staring at her coldly. His lifeless eyes flickered with sadness.

"She was one of my very best friends," he answered emotionlessly.

"What happened to her? Did she go missing?" Mia asked.

"No," Victor said under his breath.

"Did she run away from home?"

"...No."

"C'mon, what happened?" Mia wagged her tail excitedly, anxiously awaiting an answer.

Victor was silent for many moments, drawing in choppy breaths. He finally mustered up his strength and decided he'd tell Mia the truth to get her off his back.

"...She died..."

Mia's tail ceased to sway contently. Her words caught in her throat, struggling to say something to comfort him. She had no idea the issue had been so personal, or this intense in severity; she felt like dirt for forcing it out of him.

"Victor, I..." she stammered.

"Don't," he commanded.

"But... it... how...?" she asked, her blue eyes staring widely at him.

"Marie was murdered... Her own father did it... He stabbed her to death... I was so damn helpless, I felt like a useless bastard, standing over her like a deer in front of headlights..." he murmured.

"I never knew..." Mia said, exasperated and dumbfounded.

"Whatever, that was almost a year ago, it's all in the past now," Victor said indifferently.

"It's still hurting you though, I can tell..." she reached for his hand and took it in hers, rubbing it soothingly.

Victor jerked it away, nearly snarling at her in disgust.

"Please, Victor, let me help you!" Mia cried.

"You can't help me! I don't need your help, or anyone else's! Just leave me the hell alone!" he roared.

"I can help you if you just give me a chance! Just let me try!" she shouted.

"No! You can't help me! No one can, especially not _you_!" he retorted angrily.

"Why _not_?!" she queried furiously.

"Because every time I look at you, I see _HER_!!" he exclaimed, storming out of the lab.

Mia was left, heart-broken and in tears. Nothing hurt worse than words, especially coming out of the mouth of someone in need, who simply refused to allow anyone into their life. His words cut into her like a sharp knife; she was deeply upset. Incapable of helping someone was the worst feeling she was capable _of_ feeling.


	26. Life In the Neko Tribe Rewind

A/N: Sorry

**A/N: Sorry! This chapter is kinda long! I wanted to squeeze quite a bit into this one, and it's mostly like a filler chapter and sort of repetitive, but will still be beneficial to the plot later on. There is also a labor-scene warning. I do not get graphic with it or anything, but I just thought I'd warn those who could get scared. So, you've been warned! Here's chapter 10 for you! **

Lusaka was busy that morning, trying as hard as he could to better understand Rinken. Victor just scoffed in his seat, astonished that it was taking him so long to draw a conclusion.

"I'm _astounded_ that one of the top 10 nekos in Yale is taking so long to decipher a little virus," mocked Victor. "Well, you had to be the top 10, because there were _only_ 10!" Victor laughed, slapping his knee. Lusaka grimaced at him.

"Why the ugly look?" he asked.

"I don't need _your_ help or _anyone_ else's," answered the neko, quoting him.

"Real mature," grumbled Victor. "When you're ready to grow up, I'll be waiting."

"I'm older than you..." Lusaka mumbled, pressing his glasses up onto his nose.

"Then act like it," he ordered.

No one could say Victor and Lusaka _hated _each other, but they couldn't say they were the best of friends either. They bickered often, Victor always being the...victor. Lusaka never won against him in an argument; the intelligent researcher always kept him on his toes. Whenever he tried to counter an attack, the human would attack again with an even more undefeatable argument, leaving him at a loss for words. Though equally stubborn, it was easy to see Victor was more prepared when it came to anything, as opposed to Lusaka.

"Um... Victor?" asked Mia shyly, quietly entering the lab.

"What do you want?" he growled.

"Me and Lusaka--..."

"Lusaka and I," corrected Victor.

"_Lusaka _and _I_ have been invited to our uh... well..." Mia began.

"What?" he asked in irritation.

"We've been invited to our cousin's neko tribe. His wife's been infected with Rinken. Her baby's due soon, so we wanted to be there in case the infant was also infected, you know?" Mia asked.

"No way! You mean the cousin that no one cares about?" asked Lusaka sarcastically.

"Lusaka, be serious. And Victor, this is a good chance for you! You can, I don't know, get better acquainted with nekos like you wanted to! I promise no one will try to assassinate you or anything... We're going to be extra careful."

"I don't know..."

"Please, please, please? Oh, c'mon! It'll be fun! You can get to know our culture better and... You'll get to expand your knowledge on Rinken!"

"I guess..." Victor groaned.

"Yay! We're going on vacation!" Mia cheered.

"We are? Sweet!" Tyler exclaimed. He had a knack for sneaking in, unnoticed, at all the right times. "Chief, Cybil, Derek, Angie, we're going on vacation!"

"Tyler shut _up_!" whispered Victor loudly.

Tyler flew up the stairs before Victor could do as much as yell at him.

"Looks like we're going on vacation..." mumbled Victor in defeat.

OooooooO

"Welcome!" greeted Taku, the leader of the neko tribe. This tribe was very similar to Nobutaki's, but it was less hostile and everyone seemed to be relaxed. There weren't as many members and the tribe was also in a very public location. It was actually located in a National park, protected by the Federal government. Because of this, all the nekos lived peacefully, supplied with everything they needed to thrive as well as everything the forest setting provided them.

"Nice to see you again, Taku," said Lusaka.

Unlike Nobutaki, Taku was vibrant, kind-hearted, and full of life. He was always up for a good laugh and he enjoyed company. He was also youthful, being only 24.

Taku had a decent build, which differentiated him from his cousin Lusaka. He also wore no glasses, nor fancy suits. He wore casual clothing and always wore a smile. However, the humans observed something irregular about the neko man right away. His skin was much, much lighter than that of his people, and his ears and hair was white. His eyes were red.

"Are you an albino neko?" asked Sidney, trying not to sound too nosey.

"Oh, why, yes, I am," answered Taku, shaking Sidney's hand. He introduced himself to everyone else and introduced them to his tribe, who warmly welcomed them.

Now, as opposed to Nobutaki's tribe, the camp lay-out was nicer. There was a roaring fire where flames could reach as high as 10 feet, accompanied by logs that served as seats surrounding it; perfect for a scary story on warm summer nights.

The shelters were cheap tents supplied by the government, but they were sturdy enough and kept precipitation out and warmth in on those exceptional nights in June when the weather was still spring-like and chilly.

Fortunately, these nekos were also given the opportunity to keep well-cleaned with their bathing pool. This bathing pool was not a hot spring, but a slow-flowing river. The same rules applied here; a fur curtain was hung to separate the men from the women. Anyone who broke the law of seeing a person of the opposite sex naked before marriage suffered the consequences. With their experience from their previous stay, the Caduceus six knew what was tolerated and what was not. Life in the neko tribe would be very much like the past repeating itself, but this time it would be more controlled and calm with the government constantly monitoring the premises.

The experience that had left them with a bad taste in their mouths months prior was soon to be forgotten. When the pilot had left Sgorr, the last member of Nobutaki's tribe, behind, they'd all taken it hard. Cybil had especially taken this roughly, not wanting to leave the just-operated-on neko behind to die. Who was to find him but Langston Miller of Caduceus Europe?

Director Miller had pinpointed the precise coordinates of the Caduceus six, and after successfully locating them, he and some assistants were flown there to rescue them. (The Caduceus team was originally sent on a bush-plane to be flown to Caduceus Europe for the mandatory conference they were to attend) Instead of finding the six lost humans, they found the barely-alive Sgorr, still clinging to life.

After taking him back to the hospital and treating him, he was sent to live with Taku's tribe, where he lived a peaceful life of refuge.

"Sgorr!" shrieked Cybil, rushing up to him and throwing her arms around her friend.

"Cybil Myers!" he exclaimed excitedly, equally surprised as she was.

"I'm so glad you're okay!" she told him, rubbing his back.

"I'm glad you are all alright..." he replied, waving to the others.

The others waved ecstatically back, happy to see a familiar face. Even Victor was gleeful at seeing the neko, live and healthy.

"You've met?" asked Taku.

"Yeah, we have," Sidney said smiling.

"Well that makes this easy! Alright guys, make yourselves at home. I surely hope you'll enjoy your stay here; thanks for coming. I know this will be educational for you."

OooooooO

"Push!" instructed Cybil.

"I can't take it anymore, just kill me!" screamed Taku's wife, Keri, the unfortunate neko in labor. They'd loaded her up on painkillers and had given her an epidural, but they served no purpose. She was no more relaxed than a woman giving birth without the aid of painkillers.

Victor, Derek, Sidney, and Tyler waited outside the "birth-tent", anxiously awaiting the newborn's cry. They were becoming overwhelmed with the woman's constant shrieks.

Taku paced outside the tent, sweat pouring down his face.

"What if it doesn't like me? What if I'm a bad father? What if it's a girl and it tries to paint my fingernails with who knows what?!" panicked the father-to-be.

"Dude, relax, the kid'll love ya," reassured Tyler. Taku sighed a breath of relief.

"Ma'am, please try to take deep breaths and calm down," Angie said sincerely.

"I can't! Oh..." she moaned in pain.

"I see the head! Almost there, one more push and that should do it!" yelled Cybil. They'd never delivered a baby before, but the tribe's mid-wife was there to help. She sat back, contently watching them. If they needed any help, she'd jump in.

Keri cried in pain once more, followed by the cry of her child.

All the men outside the tent released their held breaths, panting so their lungs could catch up with the rest of their bodies.

Taku stepped in and saw the blood, exited, turned to face the human men, then collapsed. He'd fainted.

Several nekos crowded around the tent and their leader, all anxiously wagging their tails. A few women fanned off Taku as the others went in to help clean up.

"It's a boy!" squealed Angie, wrapping the bundle of joy into a blanket and handing him to his mother.

Keri cried tears of joy, holding her bawling infant in her arms. She cradled him soothingly, kissing his head.

A couple hours later, after Keri had recovered from the shock of the labor, she came out and declared that the new addition had arrived. The nekos all cheered loudly, applauding and screaming.

To everyone's relief, the baby hadn't contracted the Rinken and was off to a good start. He was healthy and strong, and everyone knew his lungs were functioning perfectly!

Sitting beside the fire, Sidney stared into the flames passionately. He was recalling the way Cybil had stepped up so bravely to deliver the baby once Keri's water had broken. Angie had been courageous, as well. He was glad that the baby was alright, but he still had to worry over the neko mother. How far along was the Rinken?

"Hello," Keri greeted him, cutting into his thoughts.

"Oh, hello," replied Sidney.

Keri took a seat next to him, offering the baby to him. "Want to hold him?"

"No, that's okay," he said politely.

"I hope you don't mind, but..." Keri paused, looking down at her son as pride welled up inside her. "I... named him after you."

"Y-you did?" asked Sidney, a little shocked.

"I wanted him to have a strong name, a name that would take him places. You've gotten far, so I wanted him to bare a powerful name as well. He'll be the leader of this tribe one day, after all," Keri answered, smiling at him.

"I... I'm much honored, ma'am," he replied sheepishly, blushing slightly. "Thank you."

Keri smiled at him again, giving him a friendly hug. Nekos were huggable, and they liked to administer hugs to others. It was a common gesture among friends and family members.

"See you at the big dance celebration tonight!" she called to him as she rushed off to make preparations.

Sidney stared off in her direction, dumb-stricken.

"Dance...?"


	27. Love is in the Air

A/N: I apologize in advance

**A/N: I apologize in advance. I had to add romance to this, I just can't resist. Because of this, this fan-fiction is going to be VERY long. I'm sorry. That way, though, I can get more into the hurt/comfort area of the story and kind of get away from the whole "Oh depressing Rinken is evil" thing. This baby's going to have several (maybe a few, I don't know yet) OC/Original Character pairings, so I'm sorry if you don't agree with that. It will certainly make this more interesting, nevertheless. I'm not a very, how you say... Okay, well I'm not good at romance. So... go easy on that! I'll do my very best. **

Uproar resulted after Taku declared the celebration would begin that night. Several nekos had dressed in the proper "party" attire, specially fabricated by the neko women. They were preparing for the night's dance.

The neko women wore formal blouses with skirts that went down to the knees, while the men went with short-cut pants and muscle shirts. This was because they would be dancing, and the neko traditional dances required vigorous movements and were difficult to perform.

Each article of clothing had a special insignia on it, expressing the "rank" of each dancer. Taku's outfit had a large star on the chest and golden lines on the pants. Others would have silver lines, bronze lines, etc.

Melanie, the eldest woman as well as the attire fabricator, summoned the Caduceus six immediately. Her hair was gray and her ears were equally as dull, fog-colored.

"Can we help you?" asked Sidney.

"Yes. Stand up straight," she ordered, measuring Sidney's waist.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"I'm going to make you all traditional neko dress, I want to make sure the measurements are correct," she stated, measuring his height, arm length, and leg length.

"Ha, very funny. No thanks." Victor said, slipping away.

"Not so fast," said Melody, hand extended in front of the escaping researcher. Her hair was long and black, her ears tan in color. Melody was Melanie's daughter. "It won't hurt." She quickly measured him up and jotted down the measurements before he could object.

Before the others could make a run for it, the other neko fabricators measured them up and began creating their clothing.

An hour later the clothing was finished and the humans were instructed to try them on.

"Perfect fits," chimed in Melanie, seeing all the humans dressed in the neko attire. The outfits were all black, with the exception of Sidney's, whose outfit was lined with golden thread. He was the leader of the humans, so he got the same type of clothing Taku got.

"Uh... thank you," said Sidney unsurely.

"Sure thing kid," she answered, winking at him. She was 43, older than Sidney.

"_Kid_?" he queried. He'd never been called "kid" before. He wasn't sure whether to be flattered or insulted.

"Hey, my pants have a hole in them," Derek stated upon further inspection of his clothes.

"Whoops! I forgot humans don't have tails! My bad," Melody said blushing.

OooooooO

It was nearly sun-set when the humans were being taught the traditional neko dance, "Shira". They were following along and greatly enjoying it. Well, all but Victor.

"This is so stupid!" whined Victor.

"Shut up, Niguel," countered Sgorr. "Don't mock my culture..."

"What are you going to do about it?" challenged Victor.

"Whatever, just keep your mouth shut and follow along. I'm teaching you the basics, you can try the expert moves once we're dancing," Sgorr replied. "By the way, Cybil, that's very flattering on you."

"Oh... Thank you," answered Cybil, blushing.

By the time Sgorr was done teaching them, they were exhausted and ready to rest. The celebration didn't begin for another hour, so they'd have a chance to go find a dancing partner.

"I would be honored if you would dance with me," Sgorr offered politely, taking Cybil's hand. His brown hair fluttered in the wind, also making his brown ears twitch.

"O-of course I will," Cybil replied, smiling.

Sidney was next to snag a date. He searched around at first without luck, then discovering the older women cluttered together.

He greeted them, a friendly smile playing on his face. They all returned his greeting and chatted with him for a few minutes.

"Mr. Kasal, are you looking for a date to the dance?" asked Leila, a 34-year-old neko whose hair was red-colored and ears were brown.

Sidney blushed slightly, nodding yes.

"You've just found yourself a date," she stated, taking his hand.

Tyler didn't expect any of the women to want to dance with him, so he hung out with the kids and asked them if they'd like to take turns dancing on his feet. They all crowded around him, begging to be first, but a 25-year-old neko woman named Tamara got to him first. She had brunette hair and caramel colored ears.

"Sorry kiddos, he's mine tonight," she declared, grinning largely at him. Tyler scratched the back of his head, smiling back.

"Want to dance together?" asked Derek of the 23-year-old neko Amelia. Her hair was light brown, her ears rust-colored.

"Sure, cutie," replied the calm-natured Amelia.

"I'd love to dance with a woman as pretty as you," commented Keigo, a white-eared white-haired neko. He was similar to Taku, and also similar in build and height to Yashuma. One similarity the three shared is that they were all albinos.

Angie blushed. "I'll dance with you, if you want..." she replied sheepishly.

"Great," he said, giving her a little rub on the back.

Poor, poor Victor.

He was the only human without a date. Because he was so antisocial, no one wanted to go with him. Nor did any of them know he was even looking. Not that he was making it obvious; he was good at keeping himself isolated.

"Victor, you aren't even trying!" scolded Mia, outraged that he was still sitting there on the log beside the fire, not even attempting to get out of his state of loneliness. "You want to have a good time, don't you?"

"No, I'm fine being all alone," Victor answered lowly.

"You're as bad as Lusaka. C'mon, I'll help you," she said confidently, helping him to his feet. "It's good to get out of your comfort zone."

Victor pulled back, refusing to follow quietly.

"The dance is starting in five minutes! We have to hurry, most everyone is picked over!" she yelled.

"I don't want to go," he growled, jerking away from her.

"Don't spoil your good time, now!" Taku broke in. "Many people are dancing with their siblings, you know. You two could dance as a brother-sister team. We have certain little prizes and awards and such that we give out, you two could win cutest brother-sister team if you dance well!"

"I'm not doing any stupid dancing!" retorted Victor.

"You'll do it and like it," ordered Sidney.

"Wha--? Chief!" he objected.

"No buts, you're dancing with Mia or you'll have to take your vacation time as soon as we get back to Los Angles," he countered.

"Uh fine!" he shouted, seizing Mia's arm forcefully and walking towards the dance area, a large bon-fire in the middle of it, illuminating all around.

"Ahem..." Taku cleared his voice. "Are you ready to party?!" Taku always knew how to get his people riled up; he was fun-loving and a fun-bringer.

The nekos roared with applause, jumping anxiously with waving tails and dancing ears.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Go for it!" he exclaimed, declaring the party's official beginning. Music played in the air, coming from instruments the nekos had created themselves.

OooooooO

The dance had been going for hours, and everyone was having a good time. There were laughing children, singing women, and strangely graceful neko men. Even Victor couldn't wear his indifferent expression.

"Sorry... Oh, sorry... Sorry..." repeated Sidney time and time again. He was not proving to be a good dancer, nor a good dancing leader. Leila giggled every time he stepped on her feet. He was very clumsy, but it was quite amusing on her part.

"Hey people, check this out! Bet'cha don't have these moves!" Tyler challenged, getting down on the ground and doing "The Worm".

Tamara cheered him on ecstatically, clapping and laughing.

"Oh, my back!" Tyler shrieked in false pain. When everyone went silent, he grinned and said, "Just kidding!"

"Imbecile..." mumbled Victor, craning his neck in Tyler's direction.

Mia stomped on his foot, hard. She received an "Ouch!"

"What was that for?!" he shouted.

"Pay attention, you keep tripping on my tail!" she retorted.

"Everyone, watch this!" Keigo demanded as he braced himself. Angie, standing on the far right, rushed towards him. They were about to perform the most difficult move of the dance, Shira.

She leapt on him, wrapping her legs around his waist and her arms around his shoulders. Keigo then spun round and round, making everyone a bit dizzy.

When the move was finished, everyone cheered loudly and clapped for them. They bowed, modestly stating they still needed much practice.

As the night deepened, many children were sent to bed; it was time for the exhausted parents to come out and spend some alone time together. (You also have to remember that though there are few members, it is only few for a neko tribe and fewer than Nobutaki's; there are many people here. Getting time away from the kids is a rare luxury.)

"I am glad you are alright, Cybil," said Sgorr out of nowhere. His sepia eyes bored into hers.

"I'm glad too," she replied, laying her head against his sturdy frame.

"You... deserve a strong man that will take care of you," he said suddenly.

"...Yeah," she whispered.

He caressed her, running his fingers through her hair. Holding her close, he rubbed her back and consoled her. _Maybe she has never loved like this..._ he thought.

Lost in the moment, Sgorr closed his eyes and leaned in towards her. Cybil involuntarily did the same, and it happened.

Sidney watched as they kissed; a little resentful inside. His brother would be heart-broken if he'd witnessed it. He and Cybil had been lovers once upon a time.

It was now clear that Sgorr and Cybil felt strongly towards one another, and they expressed their feelings through a passionate kiss.

Sgorr had told her months before that he had fallen in love with her and Cybil had been flattered, but she never imagined she'd feel the same. They shared so many differences, yet so many similarities. Something felt right about being in his arms; his warm embrace.

Unexpectedly, she had fallen in love with him. She'd fallen under his spell.

Before Sidney realized, he was locking lips with his dance-partner, Leila. She appeared taken aback at first, and then she relaxed and kissed him back. It was certainly a night of surprises!

The next pair of lovebirds was Angie and Keigo. Keigo was charming and kind-hearted. He was also a gentleman, not rushing into a well-worth-the-wait kiss. He knew he'd receive one by the end of the night. Angie and he had connected within 10 minutes of meeting each other.

"I love your hair, it's so soft..." Keigo commented, running his hands through her shiny, blonde hair. He'd commented on her sharp appearance several times throughout the night.

"Heh, thank you," Angie replied with a sincere smile.

"Your eyes are beautiful too. The color really accents your lovely cheek bones," he said with a smirk.

"Oh, stop!" she said, giggling and blushing.

He took her hands in his and rubbed them tenderly, following up with a passionate caress. She lay against him, hugging him tightly as she had the day Yashuma and she had parted.

Tears poured down suddenly, thoughts of her good friend flooding back.

Keigo pressed his ears against his head, reacting strongly to her emotion which was apparently depressed.

"Did someone ever break your heart?" he asked quietly.

"No... I just miss someone that...died..." she replied lowly, fighting back the flowing river of tears. He brushed them away with a gentle stroke of his hand. He stared into her light-green eyes, compassion showing through his.

"I won't leave you..." he said almost silently, shutting his eyes and leaning in towards her face. She closed her eyes, accepting his offer. Their lips met, and it happened just as it had with Sgorr and Cybil; they were in love.

Derek happened to set his eyes upon them as they kissed passionately. His heart sank in his chest.

"What is it?" asked Amelia, aware of his sudden behavioral change.

"Nothing," he murmured, pulling away from her and walking away. She stood, lone and stupefied.

The sight of them together brought him grief, and he wished he hadn't been so blind. She would have been his, had he asked her to the dance instead of assuming they wouldn't connect.

They were in love now, and nothing Derek could do or say would change that. He would be alone, loveless and unhappy.

The wind blew his hair. If only he had chanced the opportunities he'd been given; maybe then, she could have been his.


	28. Succession and the Mending of Hearts

/N: Sorry Derek X Angie fans

**A/N: Sorry Derek X Angie fans! **

Seeing the three couples kissing so lovingly made Derek jealous and lonely. He wanted to feel this way, but knew his chance had been snatched up by the wise neko Keigo.

"_Excuse_ me, can I borrow Angie for a minute?" asked Derek in irritation.

"Oh, uh... sure," Keigo replied unsurely, releasing Angie from his embrace.

"What is it Dr. Stiles?" she asked as he pulled her aside.

"What's going on?" he asked sternly.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"You said you _loved_ me..." he said hoarsely, trying not to sound too choked up.

"Derek... I... we..." she stammered.

"Why would you hurt me like this...?" he asked, burying his face in his hands.

"Derek..." she began helplessly.

"Shouldn't you date your own species?!" shouted Derek harshly. Keigo put his ears down, ashamed that Derek was acting so childish and immature about this. He hadn't judged how good Keigo's hearing was; eavesdropping on their conversation was no problem.

"Look, Derek, I'm sorry but..." Keigo began softly.

Derek shoved him and barked cuss words at him, face red in fury. It was unlike the surgeon to act so aggressively.

"You took her from me!" he exclaimed.

"No, you never had me!" Angie broke in. Derek looked at the blonde, eyes wide in shock. "I'm sorry, Derek, but... people who are forced into contact with each other, they... they never work out when it comes to relationships."

"That...isn't true..." he said quietly.

She nodded slowly. "You're a really great guy... but I'm just not ready for any rash commitments just yet. Please understand."

"Oh, Angie, please! Don't say that!" Keigo pleaded.

"Keigo, I'm sorry but... I... I had a great time tonight, but... I... don't know..." Angie rambled.

"I've been alone so long... Please, don't do this to me..." he pled again.

"I... I miss Yashuma, I can't love you without hurting him!" she cried, rushing off.

Keigo, heartbroken, turned away and walked off towards his tent. There was nothing more to be said or done; his charm hadn't been enough to win Angie's heart.

Derek sighed and sat back down on the log, sulking. _I guess I'll just... be alone..._

"Don't get down, bro, love isn't everything," Tyler tried to cheer him up. He sat beside him on the log and gave him a playful punch on the shoulder. His statement was hard to take seriously when he himself had kissing marks all over his neck.

"Whatever..." Derek said glumly. He averted his gaze from Tyler.

"I thought you and Angie were goin' strong, man, what happened?" he inquired, washing away Tamara's lip-imprints with a damp cloth.

"You missed your mouth," he pointed out to the blonde.

"Whoops," Tyler responded, wiping his face off. "Good?"

"Ew... she bit your arm?" asked Derek in disgust.

"Huh? Oh, no, her little brother bit me. That's why she left... I had a good time anyway," Tyler said, more closely examining the bite-mark.

"Well, that's good for you..." he mumbled scornfully. "I had the worst night of my life."

"Maybe she wasn't for you. You don't need a woman to complete you, ya know. I'm single, and I turned out okay." Derek couldn't help but laugh.

"Seriously dude, don't fret about it. I'm here for you. And, forget about Angie. You don't need her," Tyler added.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Derek was already feeling better. He didn't need the strain of a relationship; he and Angie would be better off remaining friends. Still, he was resentful that he had to let her go, just like that. Though for the better, maybe things would have turned out less bitterly had he not been so blind...

_I'll be alright without you... I hope..._

OooooooO

In the morning, an unfortunate event unfolded. Taku was distraught when he was told Keri was gone.

"Her heart just wasn't strong enough. She'd been fighting the Rinken for months, probably close to when she conceived the baby. Her heart had to beat for the baby and herself, all while being attacked by Jarklave. After giving birth, her heart was just so worn; it gave out," explained Sidney in a calm and mature fashion.

Taku shook his head in disbelief.

"I'm sorry for your loss," Sidney said apologetically.

"I... I just don't know what I'm going to do without h-her..." choked Taku, beginning to sob. Sidney was empathetic; he knew what it was like losing a wife.

"Come now, you have to be strong for your tribe," Sidney urged, patting him on the back. "I know it hurts, but your tribe is depending on you and you need to carry out your duty no matter what."

"I c-can't..." he stuttered.

"Yes, you can. Keep your chin up; you're a role model for all the children here, including your own. Keri would be ashamed if you let anything happen to Sidney," Sidney told him. He was referring to Taku's son, obviously.

"But why did she have to die...?"

Sidney shook his head. "That is a question there is no answer to. Why must someone so good die? It's a mystery of life. I doubt we'll ever find the answer. Nevertheless, you must pull yourself together for your son's and tribe's sake. We're going to begin operating on all the Rinken victims immediately."

Taku held his head high, brushing away the tears. There would be time for mourning later; his tribe needed him! "Yes, sir!"

OooooooO

A week passed and all the Rinken patients were successfully treated.

Luckily for Derek, his heart mended in the process. He and Angie talked things through, and with a little boost from the nekos, were able to compromise. They didn't have to be a couple to do anything; they could be friends, no strings attached. It wasn't nearly as romantic as everyone would have wanted, but their friendship could flourish without the hassle of a stressful relationship. Doctors' lives were stressful enough without the heavy burden of a boyfriend or girlfriend to carry!

Along with this, Derek's heart was mended after seeing all the nekos he'd helped. Young children that had been confined to bed could play again; the elderly could relax and breathe in the fresh air; mothers and fathers could play with their children; seeing the smiles spread across their faces as they recovered was the best. He loved helping people, and this time he'd succeeded. Seeing the nekos so full of life again filled him with joy.

They were also informed via radio by Director Miller of Caduceus Europe that worldwide, Rinken was disappearing. At this time, there were only 20 infected people left, whom were all being treated accordingly at Caduceus Europe. The medical personnel of the world had done well with Victor's notes and serums, and though Victor was absolutely pissed that Sidney had exploited them without his discretion, he couldn't resist feeling he'd done a good job. Even Sidney had to admit it was Victor's greatest achievement.

"Things are looking up," declared Victor with confidence. "Soon no one will need you, Lusaka." He smirked the neko's way.

"Ha, I'm actually overjoyed to hear that. Now I can research humans more closely instead of dealing with this bastard of a virus," Lusaka replied with a chuckle.

"Looks like we share a common goal. You want to learn about humans, I want to learn about nekos. Too bad I'm already way ahead of you, it won't be much of a competition. Heh, not that it would be even if you _did_ start before me."

"Someday I'll wipe that disgusting smirk off your face, Niguel. Just watch; I'll know more about humans than _you_," he challenged.

"You wanna bet?" asked Victor indifferently. He was never afraid of a challenge.

"It's a deal. In the next year, I'll be able to name every single fiber of the human body, mind, and soul. You can count on it," Lusaka declared confidently.

"That'll be the day," replied Victor with an inaudible laugh.

OooooooO

"I hate to see you all leave. You will be greatly missed," said Taku to the humans and _three_ nekos. Sgorr decided to retire as a neko guard/law enforcer and stay with Cybil. Their relationship was already blooming and strengthening.

"Yeah, we'll miss you too," replied Sidney, shaking his hand.

"Don't keep those tears held in, let 'em out," said Lusaka, giving his cousin a quick hug. Mia did the same.

"I know I'll miss you, Sidney," chimed in Leila, wrapping her arms around him. "We had ourselves a good time."

"That we did. I'll miss you too. Thanks for everything," Sidney said, smiling.

"Sure thing," Leila giggled. "One more thing before you go..." Leila leaned in towards him and kissed him long and passionately. Sidney blushed.

"Good bye," Leila said, cuddling one last time.

"Good bye, Leila," Sidney bade her farewell and got onto the helicopter. This time, there was room for both human and neko.

On the ride back home, everyone chatted about their experiences and their accomplishments. They also mourned over Keri, the strong-willed mother that had passed on. They hoped her son and widower would cope well.

Eyes closed in relaxation, a sudden smirk crept across Victor's face.

"I had fun," he declared. Everyone went silent, staring at him in disbelief.

He laughed under his breath, drifting off into a peaceful sleep.


	29. Deja Vu

"So was your father an insane maniac that wanted you dead?" Victor asked Mia one morning while working in the lab.

She turned to him, staring hard at him. _Where did that come from?_

"No, he wasn't. He was a great father," she replied. "Why?"

"Marie's was. I just thought maybe your father was too. He's dead though, so it's not like he could still be working on Rinken if he were insane."

"Yeah..." she said lowly.

"Ugh, another message. Get that, would you?" Victor asked in annoyance. Mia stood up and walked over to the phone, pressing the "Play Message" button.

"Dreil Brinkman here. So, you're the smart ass that found the cure eh? You must be pretty damn intelligent if you were able to decipher Smith's virus. Humans aren't normally so smart. Well, seeing as you have almost succeeded in curing the world, I have no choice but to quickly fix that. If you think you're man enough, stop by the lab and check out what I'm up to," the message cut off there.

"Uh great! Another damn idiot!" exclaimed Victor. He shoved Mia aside, tracing the call. Because the message had been over a minute, he was able to pinpoint the location of the caller. "That abandon laboratory on the outskirts of LA? Must be located there to avoid publicity."

"This Dreil guy is creating it too, then..." Mia mumbled.

"No, really? I hadn't guessed."

"Victor, be serious this is a dangerous matter. I have a hunch he's going to start mixing the strains together. He's desperate, he's working alone now. If we stop him before the virus can be spread, problem solved," she stated.

"Yeah, it's worth a shot. Though, the last time we were invited to a laboratory things didn't turn out so great..." he groaned.

"Nothing is going to happen..." she promised, hugging him. He immediately pulled away.

"Victor, please..." she pled.

"Just don't, I don't like to be touched," he growled. "And we're not going anywhere; we're letting the cops handle this."

"No, if we don't do it, it'll never get done. We're going to defeat Rinken, but we can't do it alone. We need to work together."

"Tch, that won't do us any good," he snorted.

"Victor, what would Marie think?!"

Victor fell silent, turning away from her.

"We'll never get this done and over with unless you open up! I've pried for months, but the door just doesn't open! You need to help me! Help me help _you_!" she screamed.

"I already told you--..."

"You _do_ need help! I hate to see you suffer like this, you're my friend and I want to help you! Rinken will never die unless you let go of these painful emotions and let me in!"

He shook his head and returned to his work.

"Listen to me!" she exclaimed, grabbing him by the collar. "Look at me. The reason Marie haunts you _every_ night is because she's trying to tell you something! I think she's telling you that she's intrusting the job of destroying Rinken to you! It isn't a coincidence we met, Victor... We were meant to destroy the virus, together."

There was no response.

"Let me help you..." she whispered, her blue eyes softening.

Victor finally broke down, spilling his emotions to Mia. He let go of all the bottled up memories, sharing them with her. He sobbed, laughed, mourned, and sighed all throughout their 45 minute heart-to-heart talk.

He explained everything to her, all about the good times he shared with Marie. He expressed his emotions to her as he had to Marie.

They talked of the nightmares, of Rinken, of Jonas, and of the fateful night Marie was murdered. By the end of the seemingly endless discussion, Victor found that he felt better.

"Now, isn't that better?" Mia asked with a smile.

"I guess," Victor said, shoulders relaxed rather than tensed, like they normally were.

"She sounds like a great person," Mia said.

"Yes... she was the best," he replied.

"I'm here for you. We'll defeat Rinken together. That's a promise. We'll do it for Marie!" she declared.

A grin spread across his face. "Yeah. For Marie."

OooooooO

"You're awfully tense," Cybil remarked.

"History's repeating itself, Myers, I swear it is... I have a bad feeling about this," Victor replied.

"Don't worry; we're prepared this time. This Dreil guy sounds like an amateur anyway," she said.

"You don't have to be an amateur to kill someone..." he mumbled.

"Relax, Niguel, everything will be fine," Sidney reassured, patting him on the back. "We're all out here, ready to back you up."

Mia took a deep breath. "Ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be I suppose..." he grumbled, setting foot inside the laboratory that supposedly served as a Rinken development plant.

They walked around inside, making mental observations. It appeared to be an old, abandon laboratory and nothing more.

"It's as quiet as death in here," Victor remarked.

"Quit with your death references, will you? It's making me uneasy," Mia growled.

"I'm a researcher, damnit, not a spy!" he complained.

"Shh..." she hushed him. She rushed over to the wall of the hallway and pressed her ear against it.

"Dreil's talking to himself..." she reported. "Listen."

Victor sighed and pressed his ear against the wall, barely making out Dreil's words.

"Yes, yes, grow my pretty... You will be such a good, good virus... Yes, you will..." Dreil murmured to himself. Or, to the virus. Either way, it was disturbing.

"Freak," hissed Victor.

Mia pressed herself against the wall and slid down it, peering over the corner. She waved Victor over.

"Ah, so this door leads into his little lab," he said.

"Exactly," she agreed. "Now, be very, VERY quiet."

She slithered over to the door, jiggling the doorknob quietly. It was unlocked. Inaudibly, again, she turned the doorknob and peered inside, setting her eyes upon the back of Dreil.

Dreil had brown ears and brown hair. His frame was similar to Victor's, his build almost identical. He was awfully scrawny, but a fair height. Mia observed him for several minutes, but gave away her position after sneezing.

"Mia, you idiot!" roared Victor.

Dreil shot out of his chair, stumbling backwards and nearly knocking over all his beakers and vials. He had wide, wild eyes. They were very alert and focused, appearing to be hazel under his dirty glasses.

"Aha...ahaha... You imbeciles! You actually came! You fools, ahaha! This is too grand!" he howled. Mia and Victor traded glances. They concurred this guy had lost his marbles.

"Well, now, you deserve a prize for getting this far..." Dreil said, still chuckling. He reached in his pockets and pulled out a syringe and scalpel. "Who wants what?"


	30. No Way Out

Dreil neared them, laughing manically under his breath

Dreil neared them, laughing manically under his breath. Victor never imagined this would be so much like that night in Smith's lab. He was wrong; it was _exactly_ like that night...

Victor and Mia froze; they didn't dare to breathe.

_Can't... move..._ Victor's legs wouldn't budge. His entire body refused to obey his commands.

"Just... just put it down, Dreil, let us help you..." Mia said as calmly as she could.

"No one... can help me..." Dreil hissed, poising the syringe. "You will become the final hive of Rinken, my dear... Your pathetic human friend can go to hell for all I care!"

"You will _not_ hurt Victor!" she exclaimed. Dreil threw his head back and cackled, nearly losing his balance.

"I'm Dreil, I get whatever I want..." He backed into the wall, opening a compartment and pressing a red button that read "Toxic Gas", then proceeding to cover his mouth with an air mask while watching in sick pleasure as his two intruders crumbled to the ground, out cold.

OooooooO

Victor awoke, again having bright, fluorescent lights shining down on him. He was also strapped to a chair for the second time. _Why is it always me?_

He scanned the room, setting eyes upon his "comrade", the still knocked out Mia.

"Psst, Mia!" he whispered loudly. "Pssssst, _Mia_!" There was no response.

"Ah, Victor Niguel. Cocky, intelligent, easily agitated, rude, and successful researcher," read Dreil, pacing the room. "Hmm, you also seem to have grown very attached to Smith's kid."

Victor scowled.

"Wondering how I got the information, hmm? I have my resources. You've been out for hours, I decided to do some of my own research in the long process," stated Dreil, waving a clipboard wildly in the air.

"What all do you know...?" Victor asked lowly.

"I know that you are the one who received the information from Nobutaki of the neko tribe. I know that you are the head R&D member of Caduceus USA, I know all about Smith's lab incident and about Thatcher, about Blackwell, everything," he replied.

"Why are you continuing Rinken, tell me that," demanded the outraged researcher.

"You must think I have ties to the Smith's of some sort... Well, I don't. I just happen to be a very nosy kind of guy, I get into everyone's business and try to fix their unfinished work for fun."

"Killing people is not fun you sick bastard!" shouted Victor.

"Listen, Victor. Killing is part of life. The way you kill, however, is what distinguishes a maniac from an evil genius. Sure, anyone can stab someone and kill them, but it takes someone of high intelligence to work backwards on an evil masterpiece, build on it, and spread it further. I am not insane; I am simply genius, as Jonas Smith was."

"It's never okay to kill another person for pleasure... it's wrong..." he growled. _Where are the others...?_

"Sticks and stones, I do what I want whether it's right or wrong in the eyes of the unknowing. And, by the way, don't expect a little rescue this time. I know you escaped alive from Smith's lab, but you will not be so fortunate this time. I already warned them I have hostages; one foot steps into this lab and... BAM! I'll blow out your brains," Dreil said with an evil grin. He put the gun to Victor's head, screaming _POW!_ enthusiastically to frighten him further.

"You're sick..." Victor said, shaking off the surprise.

"I'm going to tell you something; everything in these notes of Rinken, everything Nobutaki told you, it's all correct. The cures are flawless, and they have proven to be ever successful. At this rate, you'll have treated every single person infected within the week. That is why I called you here...

"You need to understand, I can't simply allow you to walk away a live man. You tampered with a genius' work, I can't leave that be. You must be punished for your foolish actions."

"Why continue what's already ended? We found the cure, it's over, Dreil," remarked Victor.

"You're wrong! Rinken will live _forever_!" he screamed.

"We showed Blackwell he was wrong, but I see you won't be so easily swayed... Let me lay it down for you. _There. Is. No. Way. You. Will. Succeed._" Victor spoke slowly, emphasizing each word.

"You know nothing!" Dreil yelled, overturning a table in rage. "I'll show you!" Grasping the syringe in his shaky hand, he poised it above Victor, ready to plunge it in.

"No!"

Blindly, the neko man charged at top-speed towards Dreil, knocking him to the ground before the syringe could make contact.

"Lusaka!" roared Dreil.

The breathless Lusaka looked up at Dreil, who now loomed over him, eyes full of pain.

"How dare you foil my plan!" he cursed through gritted teeth. "I told you to stay in the cellar until I terminated them!"

"Dreil... enough is enough..." Lusaka confessed, head hanging low as he stood on his hands and knees.

"Surprised?" asked Dreil, returning his gaze to the shocked researcher. "Lusaka was kind enough to slyly evaluate you and copy down all your notes, etc. He was very helpful. Given all your information and background, I was able to brainstorm a most glorious plan in order to torture you..."

"Victor... please... I... I did it... I did it to save Caduceus! He was going to kill everyone!" Lusaka shouted.

"He betrayed you, he is a traitor! He was working with me, helping me get inside your mind and in your _soul_! I can smell your hate, you want him to die! So be it!" Dreil declared, pinning the defenseless Lusaka to the ground.

"Stop!" shouted Victor at the top of his lungs. But, it was too late. The syringe had injected Lusaka with sharp accuracy.

"Now witness my wonderful creation! Meet the 7 strains of Rinken all bottled up into one hell of a virus!" Dreil cried, laughing his head off as Lusaka jolted and sputtered.

"Lusaka... Damnit!" growled Victor, struggling to free himself from the rope's constraint.

His attempts were in vain, for Lusaka was already entering the dying stage.

Coughing up profuse amounts of blood, eyes circling, muscles tightening, gasping for air, everything happened within 10 seconds as Rinken consumed him.

Lusaka's body lied limply on the ground, accepting its death. He sucked in one last precious breath, expiring a moment after.

Even Derminica was not this horrid. Surely an adult would have lasted longer than Hakuro had, but Lusaka was killed in under a minute as Rinken attacked him from the inside. When all 7 strains were mixed, there was only one result: instant death.

No cure or serum could be composed, or at least it wouldn't do any good, if the body shut down that quickly. The patient would die before he hit the operating table, much less the O.R. Victor knew if Dreil wasn't stopped, mankind was doomed.

"W-what were you thinking...? How could you do this...?" Victor asked in despair.

"I told you, Niguel, I get what I want. I wanted you to see how you will die. Just as soon as I compile another Rinken sample I'll--"

"No! You won't! You won't kill me, or Mia, or anyone ever again because I made a promise! You're the one who's going to hell!" exclaimed the normally calm Victor.

"Don't make me laugh," answered Dreil, untying him. "You want some? Come get some."

Victor stood frozen in his chair, not sure what Dreil had in mind. He was scrawnier than him, he couldn't possibly be envisioning a fist-fight. That would get them absolutely no where! Was he to kill him with the scalpel? Was it a bluff that he did not have another vial of Rinken on hand?

Untying Mia, Victor eyed Dreil carefully, awaiting a response or a move.

"You will not fight?" asked Dreil. "Hmm... I know what will make this more interesting..." Dreil approached the far wall, running his finger over it. "This whole place is doused in gasoline, just in case the Rinken become restless. Flames kill most things, though they only slow Rinken dramatically. Either way, setting this place afire would make your plan of escape more fun to watch. Just like a drama sitcom or some cheap soap opera, ya just sit back, relax, and watch the protagonist fight against the flames."

"You wouldn't..." dared Victor.

"Oh, but I would... It's only the walls, your escape route will be wide open, just a little toasty. Let's watch, shall we? I'm guessing you have uh... 15 minutes before this place collapses?" Dreil struck a match and lit the wall, the flames eating away at it and the opposing walls. The flames moved rapidly, devouring everything in their path.

"Mia! Wake up, wake up!" Victor pled, shaking her and smacking her face.

"Ugh..." she groaned.

"Get up now we have to leave! He set the place on fire, if we don't go now we're dead!" he shouted.

She snapped back to reality and immediately took action.

The two ran swiftly down the halls, left and right, searching for a way out. Dreil had remarked that their escape would be wide open, but there was no hope of escape at the rate the fire was spreading.

Finally, they turned down the last hallway, only to reach a dead end followed by Dreil, hot on their heels.

He struck another match and set the room ablaze, the exit enveloped in flames. They were trapped.

"You two _really_ piss me off..." Dreil scowled. "Because of you, my laboratory is crashing to the ground, and my Rinken will decline with it... The flames do not destroy it fully, but they can only survive so long with so much exposure to this intense heat... This whole damn place is on fire, there's no way they will survive now!"

"We did it..." Mia whispered, yipping and huddling close to Victor as the flames licked her heel.

"You did it alright! I'm beyond angry, beyond pissed, I'm absolutely furious! Hold onto your hats, this is the part where the antagonist takes the life of one of the protagonists!" Dreil declared, pulling out his trusty scalpel, but this time not for intimidation. This time it was the real deal; he wasn't just showing it off.

"Looks like you're faced with a double edged sword here, eh? You can run and be devoured by the flames, or you can be stabbed to death. Either way, you're both going to die in the end," Dreil said, laughing.

A thick smoke filled the room, hiding Dreil from their sight.

Victor and Mia coughed, inhaling more and more smoke as the flames drew nearer.

_I can't lose another friend... not again..._


	31. Victor's Sacrifice

"You won't... lay a hand... on either of us, you monster!" declared Victor between coughs and wheezes. The smoke was becoming more unbearable.

Dreil was skulking around, laughing occasionally and talking to himself. He would often remark on his genius, being sure he never gave away his position.

"I'm over here! Oh, maybe over here! Maybe here?" taunted Dreil.

Victor and Mia stood back-to-back, scoping the area in both sound and useless sight. Nothing could be seen in this black cloud of smoke.

"Come out you coward!" yelled Mia.

Dreil cackled once more, his footsteps becoming more rapid and close.

Catching glimpse of him, the two leapt out of their skin and backed away, ready to fight if need be.

Just like that, he vanished, shrouded in the thickening smoke once more.

Mia's ears swiveled, listening for Dreil's laugh or his approaching steps. She heard neither, nor did she hear his labored breathing. The bastard was holding his breath.

Mia pressed a finger to her lips, shushing Victor instantly. She mouthed _get down_, and he quickly obeyed. She squatted beside him, ordering him to stay down to avoid inhaling more harmful smoke than they had. The closer he was to the ground, the less smoke he would suck into his lungs.

He shook his head, silently dissuading her to go out into the haze alone, in fear of losing her, but she disobeyed and did so anyway.

_Be careful, damnit..._

"You're dead!" she shouted, tackling the neko man and bringing him to the ground. The tussle hadn't begun five seconds when blood was heard splattering across the ground, followed by Mia's blood curdling shriek.

"Mia!" Victor screamed, scrambling to his feet and following the path she'd taken into the black haze.

Mia was pinned, battling against the neko man who had already stabbed her thrice.

She'd been stabbed once in the shoulder and twice in her left side.

Though Dreil wasn't muscular by any means, he wasn't defeated easily in combat, especially when it came to destroying someone he despised. He never gave up; he would fight to the bitter end if it meant his captive was terminated.

"Bastard!" roared Victor, fighting the man off of Mia.

The scalpel was at her neck, ready to slice through the skin and tear open the precious jugular vein.

Victor grabbed Dreil's hand, prying it upward and away from Mia's exposed throat.

Sweat poured down the men's faces as they gingerly struggled, not wanting to harm oneself or, in Victor's case, Mia.

"I'm going to regret this," Victor groaned, grasping the scalpel by the sharp end to rip it from Dreil's hold.

Dreil of course laughed, pulling back in a bloody tug-of-war as they both fought for the ownership of the scalpel.

Victor was persistent and determined; every time the scalpel slipped from his bloody, torn open hand, he would reach for it again, pulling until his knuckles turned white.

"Victor, stop!" Mia shrieked, fearing for his safety as any good friend would. She tried with all her strength to get onto her feet, but did not prevail. Her wounds were deep and painful, not to mention they were leaking her blood rapidly.

Vision blurring, the room spinning, she strained her eyes to focus. Her voice was shrill, not rising even high enough to overpass the sound of the crackling flames.

She was growing light-headed, now crawling to where the men battled for the weapon.

"Ugh, why'd I leave my damn gun behind?!" Dreil asked himself in fury.

"Let...it..._go_!" yelled Victor through clenched teeth.

"Fine!" Dreil shot back, thrusting the scalpel into his chest.

Victor stood there, speechless, blood bubbling up his throat and out his mouth. He coughed it into his hand, dropping to his knees as more blood came up. He stared down at his shaky, blood-covered hands, trembling all over.

Eyes wide with terror, he looked up at Dreil, who laughed so hard he stumbled backwards, falling into the flames... The final creator of Rinken, along with the damn virus, was gone at last. The mission... had been successful.

"Victor!!" screamed Mia at the top of her lungs.

"Mi...a..." he choked, collapsing onto the ground, a blood pool forming around his broken body.

OooooooO

"_Victor..." a voice whispered. _

"_Um...?" _

"_Wake up..." it demanded. _

"_Who are you...?" he asked, opening his eyes. "Mar--!" _

_The black-furred neko girl shook her head, pressing a thin finger to her lips. _

"_Marie..." he whispered, tears filling his eyes. _

"_Don't cry," she soothed him, hugging him tightly. "It's going to be alright." _

"_I'm dead... aren't I?" he asked, dreading the answer. _

_She hesitated, finally answering, "No." _

"_But... Dreil..." he started. _

"_He is dead. You defeated Rinken, Victor. Just like I knew you would..." _

"_Is... is that what you wanted?" he asked. _

"_Yes, Victor. That is all I wanted from you..." she answered. _

"_Why, Marie...? Why me...?" he asked her. _

"_Because I believed in you, and I knew you would prevail. And you did, and I am very proud..." _

"_Will you...continue to haunt me like this...?" _

"_Victor..." she began. "Listen to me. You understood... what I said the day I died..." she placed her hand over his heart, just as she had that night. "You keep hurting, because you did not carry through..."_

"_I tried to let you go..." he stated. _

"_You did, but it was my memories that clung to you..." she explained. _

"_What... what should I do?" he asked, staring into her eyes. _

"_Live." _

"_I don't..."_

"_You will understand, my friend. You aren't an idiot, you know. You will figure it out. Just dig deeper. Deeper than you ever have..." she told him. _

_He thought long and hard, thinking until it felt that a century had passed. Still his ghostly friend waited. _

"_You just want me to be happy, don't you?" _

_Marie smiled, nodding her head yes. His debt was repaid, and she no longer needed to linger so in his memory, nor did she need to haunt him in his dreams. _

"_I must go now," she said, turning to walk away in the fog. _

"_Wait!" he called to her. "When... when will I see you again?" _

"_Victor, you will see me in your dreams, and you know where I'll be when you need me," she placed her hand on her heart, nodding as she shut her eyes. "Remember that." _

"_I'll miss you..." he told her, on the verge of a breakdown. _

"_You do not have to miss me, Victor. I will be with you, always. And now, as I have led you through, Mia will guide you. Cherish every minute with her, she is my replacement and will come to be your very dear friend... she will help you through everything for as long as she lives..." Marie explained, smiling at him. _

"_No one can replace you," Victor argued. _

"_Heh, maybe not, but she will be... a very good friend. Trust me, she is irreplaceable. You and her will become inseparable in no time, just you wait and see!" She laughed, brushing away tears of joy. " It... wasn't a coincidence that you met her; it was fate." With that, Marie bade her friend farewell, vanishing. _

"_Sweet dreams, Marie," he called after her, tears streaming down his face as he waved good bye. "Sweet dreams..." _


	32. In My Heart

_Victor's Sacrifice_

"Clear!"

"Ugh..." Victor groaned, regaining consciousness. He stared up at the night sky, barely able to keep his eyes open.

His clothing was covered with soot, as well as his face. They'd gotten him out of the flame-enveloped laboratory before it caved in, but he had suffered severe burns in the process.

In order to save her friend, Mia performed the Healing Touch, slowing the blood flow long enough for help to arrive. Tyler had operated on her while Derek attended to Victor. They were fortunate they'd made it out alive.

"He's coming to!" announced Sidney. "Back up, give him some air." The Caduceus team and the police backed away as commanded.

"You scared us half to death!" scolded Derek, sweat pouring down his face. "We thought we'd lost you."

"I thought I was dead too..." Victor murmured weakly. "Just... get me to the... hospital..."

The paramedics lifted him onto a stretcher, loading him into the ambulance. Everyone watched, waving to the vehicle as it took off.

"Is... Mia okay...? The neko girl...?" Victor asked the paramedic, closing his eyes.

"Yep, she's going to be just fine. Isn't that a relief?" the paramedic asked.

"It is..." he replied, drifting off to sleep.

OooooooO

"Good morning!" Mia said cheerily. Victor opened his eyes, groaning as he always did when he awoke.

"Morning..." he said indifferently. He was still half asleep.

"We did it Victor, we really did it!" she declared, hugging him. "Rinken is destroyed!"

"Tch," Victor rolled his eyes, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "What makes you think some crack-pot won't come in and try to create it again?" Mia was speechless. He was beginning to wake up fully and act the way he always did. Still, he wasn't as rude as he normally was. Mia's aura calmed him considerably.

"Don't be so negative, it's a new day!" chimed in Barbara Manning, the neko expert.

"Who the hell are you?" Victor asked. He should have known, as much as he read her work, but he wasn't thinking straight at the moment. He was still off in his own thoughts.

"Why, I'm Barbara Manning. You know, the neko specialist? It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Niguel," Barbara introduced herself, extending her hand to him to shake. He shook it limply. "I've heard a lot about you."

"I'm sure you have, I am the destroyer of Rinken after all. I'm sure I'm all over the news. It's not the end; I know it's too good to be true."

"Oh, quite the contrary, it's definitely over. There's no way any more Rinken can be produced. There are no more nekos on Earth with the type of blood needed to compose such a virus. As you know, neko population has decreased immensely. Rinken will never return," she explained. "I came here to congratulate you, actually."

"It's truly over...? There's no way it can regenerate...?" he asked in a worried tone.

"No way possible. It's over, I'm sure of it. Good job, you two," Barbara congratulated them.

"Thank you very much, Mrs. Manning," Mia said, ears dancing. Barbara laughed, chatting for only a few more moments before exiting to resume her never-ending job. Or, in time, her abruptly ending job. With the neko population declining, it wouldn't be too long before she had to completely suspend her research and pursue a different career. For now, she would keep in touch with Victor and update him on anything she found about nekos.

"So we really did it," Victor repeated. He nodded to the silence.

"Yeah," Mia answered finally. "We really did."

The two celebrated with a few games of cards, also playing board games and video games while she and Victor recovered.

"Beat you again," Victor said with a bored tone. "It'd be more fun if you were a challenge."

Mia only laughed, slapping him on the back as he beat her again and again.

"Okay, I suck at games," Mia admitted, smiling at him.

"What's to smile about? You're losing," he scoffed.

"I'm smiling because you're the greatest big brother ever. That's all."

Her words filled him with warmth. No one had ever considered him a _brother_ before.

"...You mean that?" he asked meekly.

"Yeah. I mean it," she told him, giving him a tight hug. "You're the best."

"Yeah, I know," he said, unknowingly tightening his arms around her. He embraced her the way he wished he could have Marie so long ago, and it was soothing and gave him a strange feeling: _Happiness. _"You're not too bad yourself, kiddo."

And with that, the brotherly love they shared grew and blossomed like spring itself. They bonded greatly, becoming inseparable, just as Marie had told him in his vision. With Rinken gone, Victor could finally relax and enjoy life. He could _live_.

OooooooO

10 years later, Victor was down in the lab, as always, finishing up a final note before Mia gave birth to her first child.

Mia had grown into a beautiful neko woman, coming to marry an old friend, Takeo. Victor had been the one to walk her down the aisle on her wedding day, seeing as she had no father.

Everyone at Caduceus had been there, all applauding and crying tears of joy as the nekos' hearts were joined in holy matrimony. Even Victor had become misty as she stood at the altar in her elegant wedding gown.

Victor had also been the first to know when the baby was conceived, though he had found out on accident. He knew by the sound of her voice when she called Takeo at work that it was definitely a baby on the way. Mia had also been showing, so it was clear.

"I'm going to be an uncle!" he sang, locking up his lab and rushing down the hall. He was unusually cheerful this day.

He met up with Takeo who was busily pacing down the hall repeatedly.

"I'm really going to be a father," he told Victor, eyes glistening with passion. "Man, am I nervous."

"Don't worry, you'll do fine," Victor assured him. He stood outside the doorway, awaiting the birth anxiously.

"It's a girl!" the two men heard the nurse shout. After a few minutes, the cry of Mia and Takeo's daughter receded through the door of the room. Takeo burst into tears of joy, hugging Victor to the point where he could barely breathe.

"I'm a father! I'm a father!" he declared.

"And I'm an uncle!" Victor replied, patting the neko father on the back.

The nurse came out, a pained expression on her face. She shook her head sadly.

"What is it?" demanded Victor, staring hard at her.

"Mia... she's fading fast. Her uterus ruptured and..." the nurse trailed off, on the verge of tears. They'd never lost a child-bearing mother before.

"No..." Takeo whispered, dropping to his knees. "M-Mia..."

"We can only allow one visitor... She may stay conscious another few minutes, but there's nothing we can do to repair what's happened. The stress was too intense, either way she'll wind up attached to a machine just to live. I know she wouldn't want that," the nurse said.

"Go, Victor..." Takeo ordered. "Go to her. Just... Just let her know that I love her." Victor stared at him, tears beginning to well up in his own eyes. He nodded, rubbing Takeo's back before accepting his offer and entering the room. This would be his final moment with Mia, her final moment among the living; he had to make it count.

"Mia..." he murmured, poking his head in. She noticed him and wagged her tail slowly, calling him to her side.

He pulled up a chair and sat down beside her, taking her weak and pale hand in his.

"Victor..." she whispered, tears streaming down her face. "I have a favor... to ask..."

"What? What is it?" he asked, listening intently.

She nodded toward the baby. "I want you... to name my daughter..."

Victor nodded, looking over at the squirming, pink infant as she cried for her mother.

"May I name her Marie...?" he asked lowly. Mia smiled, answering with an almost inaudible "yes".

"Takeo... Takeo wanted me to tell you he loves you... very much..." he told her.

"Tell him... I love him with all my heart..." she replied, gripping her brother's hand tightly.

"I will..." he assured her.

"Victor..." she said in a hushed voice.

"Yes?"

"You were... an excellent brother... Please... take care of Marie..." she pled.

"I will..." he promised.

Mia sucked in desperate breaths, struggling to hold on a little longer. Her face was becoming very pale and her lips barely remained that same color. They were turning blue as she drew in her final breaths.

"Mia..." he whispered, fighting back tears.

"Vic...tor..." she choked, shutting her eyes. They did not ever open again.

Victor's lip quivered as he pled for a response, repetitively shaking her to get her attention. But, she was no longer here. Mia was gone, and Victor knew it, not wanting it to be true.

Her hand grew cold, the fingers finally releasing their hold on his, and her grip loosened. Her arm fell lightly on the bed.

"M-Mia... I'm so, so sorry..." he apologized, burying his face in his hands. "Oh, Mia..." He held her body close, crying a few moments over his departed friend; his dead _sister_.

He laid her down, bidding her a last farewell, then gently placing a tender kiss on her forehead. He ran his hand through her hair, knowing it'd be has last opportunity to do so. She looked so... peaceful. She'd died happily in the presence of her brother.

He exited the room, only to find Takeo's body mangled on the floor in the hallway. Hearing of the loss of his beloved wife, he'd committed suicide. It was a grotesque sight to behold; Victor barely made it to the bathroom in time to vomit.

OooooooO

Mia's daughter, Marie, was one of the final nekos alive, next to Sgorr (who had come to marry Cybil Myers). The whole species had been endangered after Rinken, and even after its defeat, it wasn't enough to spare them. In time, they were all slaughtered or fell victim to suicide, as Barbara Manning had predicted. Many said their race was never to be, but Barbara had a different insight. She felt that humans weren't ready for a non-human species as intelligent as them, and when the time came, nekos would return. Until then, Marie and Sgorr would have to carry the heavy burden of being the last nekos on Earth.

After hearing of Mia's tragic death, Derek thought it best to fly all the way from Caduceus Japan to check on Victor. He promised he'd be there for him, and only felt it was his responsibility to keep his promise.

Derek drove his rental car up to the cemetery, parking it in the empty parking space beside Victor's. It was raining outside, adding to the dramatic scene, just as it had before.

Brushing back his dirty-blonde hair, Derek stepped out into the rain and approached the motionless Victor.

"Hey, Victor," he broke the silence.

"Stiles?" Victor asked, turning towards him.

"Hey... you okay...?" he asked, taking a seat beside him.

"Could be better..." Victor admitted, rocking the infant Marie in his arms.

"I'm sorry..." Derek said, pain in his eyes. He was sympathetic towards his old colleague.

"Don't be... You didn't do anything, you weren't there..." he answered.

"I haven't been there, not for you... Not like I promised, I got caught up in my job and forgot about my old friends..."

"I just... I really miss her..." Victor said in a hushed voice. Derek put his arm around him, giving him a slight hug. He knew he needed it now more than ever.

Victor seemed uncomfortable, but he did not resist. Instead he leaned on Derek, accepting his affection.

"How are you coping?" Derek asked, taking Victor's pulse.

"I guess I'm doing better than I did last time this happened..." he replied. Derek lifted his eye lid, checking for signs of sleepiness. He appeared exhausted, but his eyes seemed alert. He assumed he was up all night between tending to Marie and from tossing and turning as nightmares wrecked havoc on his mind.

"Hmm, you're shaven this time," Derek remarked.

"Oh, yeah, Marie needs to be cuddled a lot so I have to keep shaven so I don't scratch up her skin," Victor said, taking her little hand in his. "She's... all I have left of Mia's heart..."

"She's beautiful," Derek said, running his hand through her thin hair. Marie's little gray ears twitched as his hand brushed against them. She looked exactly like her mother.

"Thank you for coming to check on me. Come visit me some time, will you?" the researcher asked.

Derek was at first taken aback by his question, then smiled gently, his eyes softening. He took off his glasses and wiped the water droplets away, replaced them, and nodded to his friend. "I'll come visit you again real soon, Victor."

OooooooO

Five more years passed, and little Marie had grown into a spunky 4-year-old, soon to be 5 in August.

For Victor, the worst of the nightmares had passed and his broken heart had mended _almost_ fully. There were still times where he mourned over the old Marie, Mia, and Takeo, but seeing the little neko girl run up to him with a huge grin spread across her face kept him in high spirits.

"Haha!" he laughed as Marie jumped into his arms. This was a daily routine when he arrived home from work. Derek would always smile brightly, greeting his friend and giving him a full report of the day's activities. He was Marie's daily baby-sitter, at least when he wasn't working as a surgeon in Japan.

"She was a little angel," Derek announced, tickling the little neko.

"No Uncle Derek, no!" Marie would shriek, howling with laughter.

"Heh, thanks Derek, I appreciate it," Victor said, smiling. A day didn't pass when Victor didn't smile now; he couldn't help it. It was a nasty habit!

"Sure, no problem," Derek replied, shaking his hand firmly. "I gotta go, but I'll be by next Tuesday to baby-sit Marie again, alright?"

"Sounds like a plan, see you then," he answered.

Derek gave Marie a hug then bade Victor farewell, making his way towards the airport to resume his job as a surgeon in Caduceus Japan once more.

Victor sat down on the couch, sitting little Marie in his lap.

"What we read today, Uncle Victor?" Marie inquired.

"We're going to look at an old memory book that Uncle Derek and the others made," Victor answered, opening it up. In it were vibrant pictures of everyone, all their friends and family, including all the nekos they'd met along the way. There were pictures of Marie, of Mia, of Mia's wedding, and of Marie (little Marie) as a baby.

Victor reminisced, recalling all those fond moments and joyous memories of his life. He would tell stories, laughing all the while. What great times he had had...

"Uncle Victor?"

"Yes?"

"Mommy in heaven?"

Victor paused, unsure of how to respond. He hadn't spoken to young Marie about death or about the afterlife at all, nor did he plan to until she was older. Finally, he answered, "Yes. Mommy's in heaven. So is your aunt Marie."

"Uncle Victor, will I go to heaven?" she asked, eyes full of curiosity.

"Yep."

"And Uncle Victor will come with me?"

"...Yeah. Uncle Victor will come with you, and we'll see your mommy and daddy and auntie again."

"Kay!" she squealed in satisfaction. She cuddled up to him, laying her head on his chest. Within minutes, she had fallen asleep to his lullaby of a heartbeat.

"Good night," he told her, rubbing her gray ears. They twitched in response, and he chuckled quietly to himself.

He flipped through the memory album a little longer, finding his favorite page. It had pictures of everyone, all smiling and cheerful. He ran his hand across the page, letting his mind refill with all the memories once more.

"...Yeah... We'll all go to heaven, and we'll see Marie and Mia... We'll see them again..." Victor breathed deeply, turning out the light and walking down the hall, stirring Marie in his arms. He laid her in bed, kissing her upon the head.

"Sweet dreams, little Marie. You'll always be here, in my heart."

THE END


End file.
